Canada’s Auditor General has released a report on the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), revealing major failures in how the agency handles taxpayer calls and provides information. The findings point to long delays, inaccurate responses, and millions of deflected calls — all contributing to growing public frustration.
CRA Failing to Meet Call Response Targets
- The CRA promised to answer 65% of calls within 15 minutes, but in 2024–25, only 18% met that goal.
- In June, the service hit a low point — less than 5% of calls were answered within 15 minutes.
- The Auditor General’s office tested 167 calls between February and May:
- Average wait time to reach an agent: 33 minutes
- Total time (including speaking to an agent): 50 minutes
- CRA’s internal data confirmed similar numbers: an average wait time of 31 minutes, double what it was a year earlier.
Deflected calls skyrocketed to 8.6 million in the last year — up from 1.4 million previously — meaning many Canadians never even got through.
Complaints Soar as Service Declines
- Customer complaints jumped 145% between 2021–22 and 2024–25.
- Despite this, the CRA claims 77% of surveyed callers report being “satisfied.”
- A large portion of calls are linked to MyAccount access problems, which tie up agents.
- The Auditor General recommends a new system to triage technical calls and improve efficiency.
Inaccurate Information a Serious Concern
The accuracy of CRA responses was one of the most alarming findings:
- Only 17% of general tax questions were answered correctly.
- Business tax questions: 54% accurate
- Benefit-related questions: 56% accurate
- The CRA’s chatbot “Charlie” performed poorly too — only one-third of responses were accurate.
Training also appears to be lacking:
- In 2024–25, CRA agents received just 2,200 hours of total coaching and feedback — less than 30 minutes per agent for the entire year.
Technology and Contract Shortcomings
- The CRA’s telephony system, managed under contract with IBM, failed to provide basic queue updates to callers.
- As a result, taxpayers waited without knowing how long it would take to reach an agent.
- The Auditor General said the CRA is not getting full value from the contract.
Auditor General Karen Hogan summarized the issue clearly:
“Canadians are expected to file taxes accurately and on time. In return, they should expect the CRA to be available promptly and provide correct information — and that’s not happening.”
Government Response: A 100-Day Improvement Plan
Liberal MP Wayne Long, Secretary of State for the CRA, acknowledged the issues and pointed to a 100-day service improvement plan launched in September.
Key points of the plan:
- Hiring more staff to handle the surge in calls.
- Improving the number of calls answered, though not necessarily reducing wait times.
- Holding CRA leadership accountable for measurable progress.
Long emphasized that while progress is being made, the CRA is still “not there yet.”
“We accept the report, and we’re going to do better,” Long said.
Key Takeaways
- CRA’s response times and accuracy are at historic lows.
- 8.6 million calls were deflected — a massive increase from last year.
- Only 17% of basic tax answers were accurate.
- The Auditor General urges system and training overhauls.
- The government promises improvement, but no clear timeframe yet.
