More Rights For Taxpayers And Small Business

May 28, 2007

For more than a decade my colleagues and I in the Conservative Party have been promoting the need for taxpayers to have more rights in their dealings with the Canada Revenue Agency. On May 28th, this goal was realized when Canada’s Revenue Minister, the Honourable Carol Skelton announced both a Taxpayers Bill of Rights and the establishment of a Taxpayers’ Ombudsman.

Canadian taxpayers and small business people can now feel even more confident and supported in their dealings with the national tax agency. Not only will they have guarantees of service, but if there is a problem in receiving high quality service, they can lodge a complaint and have it reviewed by an office that is at arms length and independent from the Agency.

The new Taxpayers Bill of Rights -- consisting of 15 rights with an additional five Commitments to Small Businesses -- is strong evidence of the high standard of service that our government will provide through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

It’s important to recognize the significance of these rights and what this will mean to you as taxpayers, specifically:

 You have the right to lodge a service complaint and expect to be provided with an explanation of our findings.

 You have the right to be treated professionally, courteously and fairly.

 You have the right to have the CRA minimize your costs for you to comply with your tax obligations.

 You have the right to expect the CRA to be accountable.

 You have the right to consumer protections and to be warned of questionable tax schemes by the CRA in a timely manner.

Even in reviewing this small sample of rights it is clear that this is a giant step in the right direction to bring accountability to taxpayers. The full listing of rights can be found on the www.cra.gc.ca website.

The Taxpayer Ombudsman will be appointed later this year and I am pleased that he or she will provide taxpayers with a final, independent and impartial review of their service complaints. The Ombudsman will be there to uphold the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, the Commitment to Small Business and provide recommendations to the Minister. With the announcement by Canada’s New Government on May 28, the CRA has strengthened its commitment to respect the rights of each and every taxpayer in this country.

But it gets better. Small business can also expect to benefit. Building on the Bill of Rights are five distinct commitments that will guide the way that CRA treats Canada’s biggest job creator – small business. These commitments include:

 A commitment to administer the tax system in a way that minimizes the costs of compliance for small business. Your time and efforts are valuable and will be respected.

 A commitment to work with all levels of government to streamline service, minimize cost and reduce the compliance burden. A reduction in administrative and paper burden, in addition to the coordination of services across the board makes things easier for small business.

 A commitment to conduct outreach activities that will help small business comply with legislation administered by the CRA. You can expect the CRA to help you understand your obligations and entitlements so your time is not wasted.

I am confident that taxpayers in my riding are going benefit greatly from these new rights and protections. Previous governments have never taken taxpayers as seriously as this Conservative Government has by establishing and strengthening rights for taxpayers. I'm very proud of the results delivered by the Minister of National Revenue for all taxpayers and all small businesses.