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ORGANIZE! How Average Canadians can Change the Canada Revenue Agency : CRA SOTW
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Alan Baggett
Nov 12, 2014, 7:04:55 AM11/12/14
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ORGANIZE! How Average Canadians can Change the Canada Revenue Agency : CRA SOTW
It has been a privilege for me to speak both with and to taxpaying Canadians from coast to coast. And their most common complaint? Time and again I've heard honest Canadians tell me that they've always been fair to the penny when dealing with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). But after being forced to pay an inflated tax assessment that they did not owe, then they decided it was okay to be dishonest to whatever dollar amount they chose. If Revenue Canada was going to cheat them on one year's tax assessment then they were going to cheat Revenue Canada back. Every year.
Clearly, changing the practices of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will not just help Canadians and it will not just help Revenue Canada... it will help Canada.
Period.
This may be hard to believe but when I worked for the Department that is now an Agency, it was a lot friendlier place then. Today you can't even walk into an office and speak with an employee. I have been rebuffed on phone calls - being told that to give out the name or phone number of an employee was a breach of confidentiality.
That is not to say that the CRA is always wrong because they get it right 98%+ of the time. But when the CRA gets it wrong, instead of saying mea culpa or apologizing or even trying to fix matters... instead they toe the line. Until the newspapers and the television stations get involved that is. Then the Agency is as friendly as a warm pie. And the problem is solved. But for the rest of us whose problems don't merit media attention - most often we get no satisfaction.
So how do us taxpayin' Canadians get satisfaction from Canada's Revenue Agency?
Civil servants have forgotten that they work for you and I. And their bosses, our elected officials, also seem too ready to ignore our pleas for help (unless it's an election year of course and they're looking to hold onto their job). Politicians also seem to have forgotten that they work for us. And that they depend on us for their jobs. And it's time that we reminded them of that.
If Canadians want to change the way the Canada Revenue Agency treats us then we have to organize. In each if Canada's 308 (soon to be 338) ridings, individuals, groups and delegations need to approach politicians (and their rivals) and outline the changes we want. Changes such as the ability to talk to employees, to enshrine the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights as law and the right to be treated as innocent until we're proven guilty. And not the other way around as it currently stands. These are just a few ideas. But any reasonable change that we want. And then approach the candidate point blank and ask him or her, "Yes or no," if they will for fight for these changes.
If they say "Yes!" Great.
If they say "No!" (Or any answer other than a firm yes) then politely advise them that you, your group and your delegation will not be supporting them in the upcoming election. And not only will you not vote for them. Or financially support them. You will be loudly and actively campaigning against them.
Then walk out of their office.
They're fired!
Politicians work for you. You don't work for politicians.
That is the only way that Canadians will ever be able to change the worst practices of the Canada Revenue Agency.
If we do not all hang together on this then most assuredly the day will come when we will all hang separately.
----------------------------------------------------------
Miss a Tax Tale Miss a lot!
Visit the CRA SOTW Library at http://canada.revenue.agency.angelfire.com
------------------------------------------------------------
Alan Baggett - http://www.taxcollectorsbible.com/ - Tax Collector's Bible
It has been a privilege for me to speak both with and to taxpaying Canadians from coast to coast. And their most common complaint? Time and again I've heard honest Canadians tell me that they've always been fair to the penny when dealing with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). But after being forced to pay an inflated tax assessment that they did not owe, then they decided it was okay to be dishonest to whatever dollar amount they chose. If Revenue Canada was going to cheat them on one year's tax assessment then they were going to cheat Revenue Canada back. Every year.
Clearly, changing the practices of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will not just help Canadians and it will not just help Revenue Canada... it will help Canada.
Period.
This may be hard to believe but when I worked for the Department that is now an Agency, it was a lot friendlier place then. Today you can't even walk into an office and speak with an employee. I have been rebuffed on phone calls - being told that to give out the name or phone number of an employee was a breach of confidentiality.
That is not to say that the CRA is always wrong because they get it right 98%+ of the time. But when the CRA gets it wrong, instead of saying mea culpa or apologizing or even trying to fix matters... instead they toe the line. Until the newspapers and the television stations get involved that is. Then the Agency is as friendly as a warm pie. And the problem is solved. But for the rest of us whose problems don't merit media attention - most often we get no satisfaction.
So how do us taxpayin' Canadians get satisfaction from Canada's Revenue Agency?
Civil servants have forgotten that they work for you and I. And their bosses, our elected officials, also seem too ready to ignore our pleas for help (unless it's an election year of course and they're looking to hold onto their job). Politicians also seem to have forgotten that they work for us. And that they depend on us for their jobs. And it's time that we reminded them of that.
If Canadians want to change the way the Canada Revenue Agency treats us then we have to organize. In each if Canada's 308 (soon to be 338) ridings, individuals, groups and delegations need to approach politicians (and their rivals) and outline the changes we want. Changes such as the ability to talk to employees, to enshrine the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights as law and the right to be treated as innocent until we're proven guilty. And not the other way around as it currently stands. These are just a few ideas. But any reasonable change that we want. And then approach the candidate point blank and ask him or her, "Yes or no," if they will for fight for these changes.
If they say "Yes!" Great.
If they say "No!" (Or any answer other than a firm yes) then politely advise them that you, your group and your delegation will not be supporting them in the upcoming election. And not only will you not vote for them. Or financially support them. You will be loudly and actively campaigning against them.
Then walk out of their office.
They're fired!
Politicians work for you. You don't work for politicians.
That is the only way that Canadians will ever be able to change the worst practices of the Canada Revenue Agency.
If we do not all hang together on this then most assuredly the day will come when we will all hang separately.
----------------------------------------------------------
Miss a Tax Tale Miss a lot!
Visit the CRA SOTW Library at http://canada.revenue.agency.angelfire.com
------------------------------------------------------------
Alan Baggett - http://www.taxcollectorsbible.com/ - Tax Collector's Bible
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