Tax Services

About Tax Services

Tax Services, the CCRA's largest business line, directly touches the lives of over 29 million individuals, businesses, trusts, and organizations. The CCRA administers, assesses, and collects taxes on behalf of the federal, provincial (except Quebec) and territorial governments, and First Nations. These taxes fund a wide range of programs and services that ultimately contribute to the social and economic well-being of all Canadians. We are continuously working to provide quality service, improve client satisfaction, and maintain public confidence in the integrity of the tax system.

Activities in Tax Services include informing clients of their rights, responsibilities, and entitlements; registering businesses, charities, and deferred profit sharing plans; and processing and assessing client returns. We also issue rulings and interpretations to clarify the application of tax law; collect outstanding arrears; perform reviews and audits; resolve double taxation cases with tax treaty partners; and identify, research, and prosecute suspected cases of wilful non-compliance.

We administer billions of dollars in incentives, such as Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED), film, and other targeted credits and deductions that generate refunds or otherwise reduce the amount of tax that would be owed. Our outreach programs are aimed at combating the underground economy and increasing compliance both nationally and internationally. These programs help to ensure that the CCRA's international and domestic clients receive accurate information and assistance in understanding their rights and obligations under the Canadian tax system.

We share our best practices in tax administration through technical assistance to other countries. Examples include courses in transfer pricing and electronic file selection under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and our co-ordination of the Canadian International Development Agency's (CIDA) India Project—a program to help the Government of India re-engineer its revenue administration processes and supporting technology.

Date modified:

2003-10-29