As I'm sure most members have seen, the government has mandated the CRA to come up with a plan within 100 days to deal with the problems of Canadians not being able to get through their call centres. I wrote about this in one of my Financial Post pieces here The CRA needs to get better - now. Here are five ways to make it happen
As I mention in the article, this 100 day plan risks being nothing more than political theatre but surprisingly the government has been blunt in its assessment of how bad the call centres are. And I agree.
In my view, it is unrealistic to expect much to happen in 100 days - with the 100th day being December 11, 2025. But, at the least the following 5 things can be committed to:
- Implement callback queues and a scheduling system
- Set hard service standards
- Expand the dedicated telephone service for income tax professionals
- Implement an independent body for oversight - with teeth
- Train hires better
I just finished an interview with CBC radio on this topic. The previous panel before me was pushing hard that the CRA needs to hire more people to solve the problems. I disagreed and stated that the problem is much more complex than that and goes back decades but has been particularly worse in the last few years. Look at the reasons why and try to solve that before throwing more people and money at the issue. We've had a 47% increase in CRA headcount from 2015 to 2024 with no improvements in call centre management (and in fact getting worse). The solution is not just more people.
What do you think?
------------------------------
Kim G C Moody FCPA, TEP
Founder, Moodys Tax / In the Mood Content Creator
------------------------------