2018 Report on Public Service Renewal Results
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2018 Report on Public Service Renewal Results
Meet five Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) employees who are proud to share how their work helps Canadians. Their stories are a few examples of how the CRA is committed to listening to Canadians, and improving its services. See the 2017 Report on Public Service Renewal Results.
Ann Marie and Mallory
Volunteer Program: Helping Canadians
As Canada Revenue Agency outreach officers, we visited four Northern Labrador Inuit and Innu communities in October 2018 to help people get the benefits and credits they qualify for, and promote programs such as the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP).
Visiting as a team with Service Canada colleagues, we gave people the information they need to file an income tax and benefit return.
We met people who had missed out on benefits because they had not filed a return, some for as many as five years. So it was important to help out. One of us researched and provided the client’s paperwork, while the other showed individuals how to file their return, either on their own or through a CVITP volunteer. Some were even able to file their own return on the spot.
The trip was very rewarding. We were able to see the smiles; one gentleman told us we had just made his life a lot happier.
Ann Marie and Mallory
Last year, more than 17,700 CVITP volunteers and 3,100 organizations helped over 703,000 people in communities across the country. Find out how you can help.
Melissa
Design Jam: Improving Our Services
I work in the Chief Service Officer Secretariat, and part of the work we do is partnering with internal and external stakeholders to deliver design jams. Design jams are collaborative spaces where participants from various backgrounds, including the end users, work together to build solutions through a client-centric approach. Design jams help uncover clients’ challenges and motivations, while building trusting relationships with end users.
I had the privilege of participating in a design jam with tax practitioners to co-design a reimagined notification service to support their needs and expectations. To develop what a possible solution could look like, we used three lenses: desirability, feasibility and viability.
The design jam was very successful, and lots of great ideas were shared. We got a good understanding of key insights that will inform the future direction for a notification system designed to address tax practitioners’ needs.
Working directly with Canadians raises expectations, but in a good way. The tax practitioners appreciated being involved in the process and are eager to hear about next steps.
For me, it felt rewarding to show tax practitioners that we are listening and want to improve the way we do our business with them. I look forward to running more of these design jams with various audiences in the years to come.
Melissa
In October 2018, the Minister of National Revenue announced the appointment of the Chief Service Officer. As part of her mandate, the Chief Service Officer will hold a series of consultations with Canadians. Find out how we’re Serving Canadians better at the CRA.
Martin
Image description
Non-filer
On the left is a picture of a woman with a child.
On the right is the following text:
You could be sitting on money!
Did you know that filing a tax return can help you get money from benefits and credits, even if you have no income?
By doing your taxes, you could receive:
- up to $6,496 annually per child in Canada Child Benefit (CCB) payments
- up to $568 annually in Good and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST) credit payments + $149 annually per child
- provincial and territorial benefits and credits
Go to canada.ca/benefits or call 1-800-387-1193
Need help doing your taxes?
If you have a modest income and a simple tax situation, volunteers at community tax clinics can do your taxes for you for free.
Go to canada.ca/taxes-help
Do your taxes online – it's fast and easy with free software.
A list of free certified software is available at canada.ca/netfile-software
Recently sent us your return? Thank you and kindly disregard this message.
Getting Canadians Their Benefits
The Non-Filer Benefit Letter Initiative was launched in 2016 by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), following an investment from the 2016 federal budget. Under this service initiative, the CRA encourages lower income non-filers to file an income tax and benefit return to claim benefits for which they are eligible. The initiative afforded an opportunity to reach a segment of the Canadian society that is not usually targeted by Non-Filer Program strategies (due to low or no tax recovery potential) with a positive and service-oriented message to promote the benefits of filing a return.
As Project Lead for the initiative, I take great pride in its accomplishment. I value the fact that many individuals received benefits and credits because of the letter we sent to remind them to file their return.
Martin
Since October 2016, the CRA has issued over 560,000 letters to taxpayers who had not filed income tax and benefit returns and may be entitled to benefits and credits. The letters advise taxpayers to file online and direct them to available software. As a result, the CRA issued over $19.4 million in tax refunds and $59.7 million in benefit payments to many taxpayers. A similar campaign is currently underway.
Joanne
Reaching Canadians through social media
I’m a communications advisor on the Canada Revenue Agency’s social media team. One of the challenges I face is taking content that can be considered a little dry and translating it for social media in a way people can find interesting. This means innovating and finding ways to reach Canadians where they are, like bringing Facebook to the Agency in February 2018.
I enjoy making content more engaging, fun and effective. We’re seeing results, too! The Agency’s Facebook pages boast an impressive 20,000 followers, in addition to 125,000 Twitter followers.
One of my favourite posts, which was also among our most popular, was this one for Star Wars Day, in which we warned individuals about scams.
It’s so rewarding to be able to answer taxpayer questions and create content that we see strikes a chord with our followers. I love that I can inject humour into my work, too.
Joanne
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- Date modified:
- 2019-11-29