Official report reveals increasing complaints from Canadians about Canada Revenue Agency services

Ottawa —
A new report from the Taxpayers' Ombudsman of Canada revealed a significant increase in citizen complaints against the Canada Revenue Agency, indicating growing frustration with the level of tax services, long wait times, and delayed file processing.

The report showed that complaints reached their highest level in three years, with thousands of reports related to taxpayers' experiences with the agency, especially concerning the difficulty of obtaining clear answers or effective follow-up on pending files.

Delays in processing requests topped the list of reasons for dissatisfaction, particularly in complex files or those related to tax return adjustments, where several taxpayers said they waited for periods longer than the agency's announced time standards.

The report also recorded repeated complaints about call centers, as many taxpayers faced difficulty reaching an employee, had to wait for long periods, or received incomplete information, which increased their feeling of uncertainty about their tax files.

The report also addressed issues related to electronic services, including difficulty accessing digital accounts, complicated verification procedures, and delayed updating of information within files, all of which affected some users' ability to follow up on their transactions or obtain their documents in a timely manner.

The Ombudsman pointed out that the problem is not limited to the volume of complaints but extends to the nature of the experience taxpayers go through, where lack of clarity and long waits lead to financial and administrative pressures, especially for those waiting for refunds or decisions related to government benefits and programs.

The report called on the Canada Revenue Agency to improve transparency of processing times, update request tracking tools, enhance call center performance, and provide simpler and more accurate information to citizens, alongside developing digital services to make them easier and more reliable.

The report places the agency under increasing pressure to improve its performance, at a time when millions of Canadians rely on its services not only for tax files but also for access to income- and family-status-related government benefits and support programs.