The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has been supportive of the work done by the Taxpayers' Ombudsman office in Ottawa.  Their goal is to enforce the Taxpayers Bill of Rights and ensure that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) are acting fairly with Canadian taxpayers.

Just today we got sent some information from the Taxpayers' Ombudsman office requesting information from Canadians about being denied access to a supervisor when talking to a CRA agent.  Here it is:

Re: Systemic investigation by the Office of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsman

The Office of the Taxpayer’s Ombudsman (OTO) is investigating claims from taxpayers and tax professionals that they were denied access to supervisors at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). This letter is to request any information you might be able to provide that would be relevant to the investigation.

According to CRA policy, if taxpayers or their representatives are not satisfied with the service being provided by the person they are dealing with, they are entitled to speak to a supervisor. This is an important aspect of the CRA’s recourse and accountability mechanism for taxpayers who believe they have not been treated fairly or have not received the level of service to which they were entitled.

The Ombudsman has heard from taxpayers and their representatives that when dealing with the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) they have on occasion been denied the opportunity to speak with a supervisor. Some taxpayers have alleged that upon asking to speak to a supervisor they were disconnected, while others claim that they were told that a supervisor would contact them within 24 to 48 hours, but no call back was made.

These complaints suggest a systemic issue that might be negatively impacting large numbers of taxpayers. The Taxpayers’ Ombudsman is therefore investigating whether Canadians are being treated fairly and professionally when they ask to speak to a supervisor at the CRA. As part of this investigation, the OTO is consulting with the public and with stakeholders.

Any information you might be able to provide us on the following would be greatly appreciated:

• Have you or any of your clients experienced any difficulties accessing a supervisor when you made the request to a telephone agent?
• Has the issue been resolved, and if so, how?
• Would you, or any of your clients, be willing to make a formal complaint to the OTO that would assist us in the investigation?

When taxpayers make a formal complaint to the OTO, they authorize the CRA in writing to provide us access to their tax information so we can independently verify the facts of the complaint.

To file a formal complaint with the OTO, please complete the complaint form which can be found at http://www.oto-boc.gc.ca/frmRDM-eng.html, and mail it to the address found on this letter or fax it to (613) 941-6319 or 1-866-586-3855.

Should you have any questions or wish to discuss this issue further, please contact our office at 1-866-586-3839 and reference this correspondence.

To review the Ombudsman’s special reports on previous systemic investigations, please visit our Web site at www.oto-boc.gc.ca