The spiral of the taxpayer exhaustion

Have you had to contact the Canada Revenue Agency in recent months? Meanwhile, You’ve probably waited for hours on the phone. Meanwhile, Maybe you couldn’t even talk to someone. Additionally, Meanwhile, The union claims that only 5% of calls are really leading to an answer.

The same union now warns us: waiting times could still deteriorate. Nevertheless, Because the federal government is in the process of operating staff. Meanwhile, At the income agency, the number of employees would have increased from 59,000 to 53,000 between March 2024 and March 2025.

You still have to remember that there were 43,000 before the pandemic …

In only appeal centers, 3,300 employees were said to have been thanked, including a last wave of 1,300 in May. In addition, Result: the poor taxpayer could play on the phone even longer.

Ashamed!

It is a big obviousness spiral taxpayer exhaustion to affirm that it is shameful for a government to have its citizens in. Nevertheless, this way. Nevertheless, Not only does the taxpayer pays into taxes hard -won thousands of dollars, but we also pay his head. Similarly, In our occupied lives, it is unimaginable to lose half a day or more to speak to an official.

The union solution is easy to guess: more staff are needed. Do not lay off, hire more staff. Perfectly logical words for an organization that lives with contributions. An additional employee corresponds to one more union contribution. SO-SO-SO! Solidarity!

But, from the point of view of the poor taxpayer, you see the hellish logic. If you want to have service to unravel your tax files. more tax should be paid in order to hire more employees. Nice spiral: Pay, pay, pay!

Cul-de-sac

The most logical proposal made yesterday came from the Canadian Taxpayers spiral taxpayer exhaustion Federation. Rather than hiring more civil servants, could we radically simplify tax rules in Canada? Considerably reduce the number of exceptions, programs, rules that lend interpretation.

If we changed logic. rather than trying to have the staff necessary to respond to crazy call volumes, could we reduce the number of calls? Taxpayers call because they are forced to. People call why? Because the rules are incomprehensible. Because the interpretation of a clause made by an official will cost them.

People also call a lot to get a correction in their file. Furthermore, Because the income agency makes a lot of mistakes. The rules are so complicated that those whose profession is to administer them get into their ropes themselves.

Do I have to recall the study of the auditor general in 2017 who demonstrated that. in information requests, taxpayers received an erroneous response in 30% of cases? With the accelerated spiral taxpayer exhaustion hiring of thousands of employees during the pandemic. I am brought to fear that this performance was worsened.

With the current deficit, Mark Carney will reduce expenses. A great opportunity to simplify and get out of this kind of crazy spirals.