Message from J. Paul Dubé, Taxpayers' Ombudsman

Welcome to our Web site. I hope you find it useful and informative.

I am proud to say that, despite being a relatively new organization, the Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsman is making a difference in the lives of many taxpayers by helping resolve their disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

We have more work to do though; there are still taxpayers who don't know about the Taxpayer Bill of Rights or the services offered by my Office.

An important part of my job, therefore, is to inform Canadians that they have rights as taxpayers and that they have access to an independent and impartial Ombudsman to review unresolved complaints about the way they are served and treated by the CRA.

Rights and recourse options can only help if people know they exist. If you know someone who may benefit from our services, please refer them to our Web site or ask them to call us toll‑free at 1‑866‑586‑3839.

If you are not sure if your complaint is something we can deal with, call us and we will answer your questions.

I would also like to point you to a page on our Website that offers valuable taxpayer tips when dealing with the CRA. We also offer useful links to connect you with other organizations that may have the information, answers, or redress mechanisms you are seeking.

Your comments on systemic issues or about this Web site are always welcome.

J. Paul Dubé

Making a difference

It is always gratifying when the intervention of this office leads to the resolution of a problem between an individual taxpayer and the CRA. However many complaints about service or fairness are due less to a one-time error or misjudgement, and more to an underlying issue that will cause the problem to recur if not corrected. By looking at the policies and procedures that give rise to individual complaints, we are able to identify systemic and emerging issues related to service matters. By investigating these systemic issues and making recommendations for change, we seek to help solve problems that can negatively affect large numbers of taxpayers and prevent future complaints.

As a result of our intervention, the CRA has:

• issued apologies;
• released bank accounts they had seized;
• cancelled penalties and interest they were charging;
• reviewed some of its internal policies and procedures; and
• in some instances, ended collection activities.

Through our intervention in individual complaints and our investigation of systemic issues, my Office provides valuable feedback that helps the CRA maintain its high levels of service and make improvements whenever necessary.

That is a benefit to taxpayers and the CRA.

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