What is a systemic issue?

Why are systemic issues important?

An important part of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsman's mandate is to identify and review systemic and emerging issues related to the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) service to, and treatment of, taxpayers. The idea is to identify and correct issues affecting large numbers of taxpayers as soon as possible.

How does the Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsman hear about systemic issues?

We become aware of systemic issues through:

• individual complaints that reveal trends in certain areas of CRA service;
• media reports that can highlight problems that affect large numbers of taxpayers; and
• our consultations with taxpayers and tax professionals across the country.

How does the Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsman deal with systemic issues?

We do not have to wait until we have hundreds of complaints about an issue before we realize that it merits investigation. Our reviews allow us to determine if a service or fairness issue has, or could have, a negative impact on taxpayers and should be treated as a systemic issue that needs to be addressed.

We research such issues thoroughly with the goal of making feasible recommendations to correct the issue. We make those recommendations directly to the Minister of National Revenue.

Submit your comments

Perhaps you are aware of a systemic service or fairness issue related to the Taxpayer Bill of Rights and the CRA's treatment of taxpayers. The Taxpayers' Ombudsman invites stakeholders, taxpayers, and tax professionals to help us identify issues with the CRA's service to, and treatment of, taxpayers.

If you have a service or fairness issue you would like to bring to our attention, please contact us.