Ensure that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) offers a service through community organizations to complete returns for lower-income Canadians whose financial situation is unchanged year-to-year.
What success looks like
Simpler process for low-income Canadians to file their taxes when their financial situation hasn't changed much.
Government's narrative on progress
The government has made significant investments in the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) and Outreach Programs through Budget 2016 and Budget 2018. Budget 2018 provided additional funding to increase awareness among Canadians of the benefits and credits to which they are entitled; increase the number of individuals helped by CVITP-participating organizations and their volunteers; provide additional support to organizations to hold free tax clinics year-round; and conduct more outreach activities to vulnerable population segments. For the 2018 tax season, the number of organizations and volunteers increased by 9% and 6.5%, respectively. • Last year, more than 17,700 CVITP volunteers and 3,100 organizations prepared over 785,000 income tax and benefit returns, helping over 703,000 people • The program helped Canadians access over $1.7 billion in refunds, credits and benefits. The Canada Revenue Agency also provides the File my Return service for Canadians with a low or a fixed income whose situations remain unchanged year-to-year. Eligible Canadians are able to file their income tax and benefit return by providing some personal information and answering a series of short questions through an automated phone service. Since the start of the 2018 tax filing season, File my Return was used over 47,000 times. Three new Northern Service Centres in Whitehorse, Yellowknife, and Iqaluit are now open (announced February 11, 2019). The CRA employees based in these new centres will expand the activities of the Outreach Program, the CVITP, and the Liaison Officer service in the territories.
Note: this is the government's own description, not an independent assessment.