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Canada's Tax System Confuses the Taxman Too!

Olu Olu
Oct 30
2 min read

Updated: 8 hours ago

An Auditor General's report released in October 2025 found that Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) call centres are giving taxpayers inaccurate information. The audit revealed especially low accuracy rates for general questions about individual taxes, with accurate answers being provided only 17% of the time.

Key findings from the report and related news include:

Low accuracy rates: The report found that general questions about individual taxes were answered accurately only 17% of the time between February and May 2025. Questions about business taxes and benefits received accurate answers 54% of the time, but the completeness of those answers was just over 30%.

Low employee performance emphasis on accuracy: Less than 10% of an agent's total performance evaluation score is related to the accuracy of the information they provide. This contrasts with the 45% of an agent's score tied to schedule adherence and time spent on calls.

Inaccurate internal reporting: The Auditor General's findings are starkly different from the CRA's internal reporting, which claimed a call accuracy rate of over 87% since 2019.

No recourse for taxpayers: If a taxpayer receives incorrect advice from the CRA, they are still responsible for filing an accurate tax return. While taxpayers can appeal interest or fees that result from bad advice, they will not be hit with gross negligence penalties.

Comparison to automated services: The report noted that the CRA's automated chatbot, "Charlie," provided more accurate responses to general individual tax questions (33%) than human agents.

Historical issues: This is not the first time the Auditor General has raised concerns. A 2017 report also criticized the CRA's call centres for providing slow and inaccurate service.

CRA response: In response to the report, the CRA stated it accepts the findings and will improve services. The agency is looking into using artificial intelligence and improving training for agents to help provide more accurate answers.

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