OTTAWA -- The number of complaints about the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) filed with the taxpayers鈥� watchdog was more than double in the last fiscal year compared to pre-pandemic numbers, according to Taxpayers' Ombudsperson Francois Boileau.

Boileau, said most of the complaints related to delays in obtaining COVID-19 related benefits 鈥� which accounted for 40 per cent of the complaints to his office 鈥� and the quality of service provided by CRA contact centres.

鈥淥ur office received a total of 3,847 complaints, an increase of more than 70 per cent, or twice the number of pre-pandemic complaints,鈥� he told reporters Tuesday.

Boileau said many people experienced delays in validating eligibility for COVID-19 benefits, with the issue affecting 鈥渙ur most vulnerable populations鈥� who then struggled to pay for groceries, medications, and other bills.

鈥淚t was a huge concern for us,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e've tackled this with the CRA, and we didn't receive the answers that we were looking for.鈥�

鈥淭herefore, there's a complete chapter in our annual report that is dedicated to this issue and to the fact that the CRA should have communicated better with Canadians,鈥� he added, 鈥渟o they would have understood from the get go what they were up against in terms of waiting for the process to be to be handled with the CRA.鈥�

Boileau said the issue resulted in his office sending more than 1,700 urgent requests to the CRA. He said this was an increase of 130 per cent compared to 2020-21, which was already a record year for such requests.

Complaints to the Taxpayers鈥� Ombudsperson鈥檚 office jumped from 1,507 in the 2019-20 fiscal year to 3,533 in 2020-21, and then to 3,847 last year. Boileau said some of the recommendations from his report last year 鈥� which could have helped address some of the issues 鈥� have yet to be implemented.

鈥淲e believe that communication is key and that keeping Canadians informed should be the top priority for the agency,鈥� Boileau said. 鈥淭here is still much room for improvement for the agency to communicate transparently with Canadians and deliver services in a timely manner.

鈥淭he CRA鈥檚 contact centres continue to be a large complaint driver,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or years we've heard from Canadians about their dissatisfaction with the service.鈥�

He said excessive wait times, receiving conflicting or inconsistent information, and calls being dropped prematurely, are the cause of frequent complaints to his office.

鈥淚t had a huge impact on us over the last year,鈥� Boileau said.

In his latest report, the ombudsperson is calling for the CRA to make a series of changes, including:

  • Looking for ways in which taxpayers can receive a security code the same day it is requested, for timely access to their CRA Account. The CRA currently has a policy of mailing out authentication forms and security codes.
  • Finding a way to provide in-person, same-day identity verification of a taxpayer; and
  • Making it clear to Canadians that receiving certain benefits could increase their income, and informing applicants that the increase could affect their other income-based benefits.

Boileau said despite the 鈥渞ecord numbers鈥� of complaints, his office鈥檚 services are still unknown to many, and he鈥檒l continue to 鈥渋nform Canadians of their rights as taxpayers.鈥�