Canada’s Auditor General Karen Hogan pointed out in her latest report on Tuesday that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) customer service centre provided “high-quality tax advice” to only about 5% of callers in June, and only 18% of all calls were connected within 15 minutes, far below the official service standard.
The report shows that most callers this year waited an average of 31 minutes. “The Canada Revenue Agency has a responsibility to help individuals and businesses meet their tax obligations and receive related benefits, but even after implementing a new system and claiming improved service, Canadians are still experiencing long wait times,” Horgan said in a statement.
The audit office conducted a four-month sampling survey, simulating calls to the CRA customer service centre from the public asking tax questions. The results showed that customer service representatives had an accuracy rate of 54% for corporate tax and benefits questions but performed significantly worse for personal tax advice. The report noted that the tax bureau appeared more focused on staff scheduling and rest arrangements than on ensuring accurate and complete information was provided to the public. This “system-oriented” problem was considered a major factor in the inefficiency of consultation.
Faced with criticism, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne gave the CRA 100 days on September 2 to improve its service quality, with a deadline of December 11. The CRA then promised to ensure that at least 70% of calls would be answered by mid-October.
According to the Canadian Press, Assistant Commissioner Melanie Serjak of the CRA recently said that the goal was achieved earlier this month. To improve response capabilities, the CRA extended the terms of about 850 contract customer service staff and rehired hundreds of former employees.
Analysts believe that despite the CRA’s temporary staffing measures, public trust in the agency’s efficiency will be difficult to restore unless the service culture is strengthened through institutional and training measures. Hogan called on the federal government to “continue to monitor the implementation of reforms” to ensure that taxpayers can obtain accurate information within a reasonable time.