July 5, 2013,
Toronto — The Canada Revenue Agency announced a number of service
improvements based on consultation with small businesses and their tax
professionals.
The
Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue and Minister for the
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, today announced a number of
improvements to services offered by the CRA, all aimed at cutting red
tape to save small and medium-sized businesses time and money while
stimulating job creation and growth.
“Our Government is listening
to Canada’s small business community and we have already taken real
steps to cut red tape so that small businesses across the country can
continue to grow and create jobs,” said Shea. “Improved technology put
in place by our government has made it much easier for small businesses
to manage their taxes and we are committed to continuing that progress.
With this latest suite of improvements, business owners and their tax
professionals will have greater access to the online services they are
asking for.”
In November 2012, the CRA held Red Tape Reduction
consultations in seven cities across Canada to help improve services it
provides to small and medium-sized businesses. The CRA met with over 140
small business owners, accountants, and bookkeepers for input on five
themes, including reporting obligations and online services.
As a
result of the feedback received through consultations, the CRA is
making the changes that businesses want and need most. This includes
commitments to:
- Allow businesses to submit payroll enquiries through the My Business Account enquiries service;
- Allow businesses to update business banking and direct deposit information online;
- Improve
access to My Business Account by reducing the processing time for a
Business Consent Form from 14 days to only five days; and - Increase
outreach to businesses to ensure they are aware of less burdensome
filing frequency options (for example, filing quarterly rather than
monthly).
These improvements will build on the success of
online services already in place. Earlier this year, Shea received the
Golden Scissors award from the Canadian Federation of Independent
Business (CFIB) for introducing measures that improve services at the
CRA and reduce the burden placed on small businesses. This included
introducing the My Business Account Enquiries Service, which allows
businesses to ask tax questions related to their account online and
receive information they can rely on in writing.
“Small
businesses are major employers all across Canada, and help to support
their communities,” said Plamen Petkov, CFIB director of provincial
affairs for Ontario. “The previous improvements at CRA have already made
things much easier for business owners. With these new changes to
online services our members should be able to spend even less time
meeting their tax obligations and more time running their business.”
To
read the Focusing on Small Business Priorities: Canada Revenue Agency
Consultations on Cutting Red Tape report, or for more information on the
CRA’s work under the Red Tape Reduction Action Plan, visit www.cra.gc.ca/redtapereduction.
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