CRA to roll out new automatic tax filing system. Here’s what to know – National
Next year, the Canada Revenue Agency plans to pilot a new automated system to benefit vulnerable Canadians who do not file taxes.
This week’s federal budget. The Canada Revenue Agency also said it will present plans to expand the service in 2024 after consultation with stakeholders and community organizations.
The move to automatic tax returns, first promised in the 2020 Speech to the throne, is one of several budgetary measures the Liberals say are meant to help Canadians with their living expenses.
Experts and advocates are calling for automatic filing, noting that many vulnerable Canadians are missing out on the benefits they are entitled to.
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Although Canadians generally do not have to file tax returns each year unless they are in debt, the federal government increasingly relies on the Canada Revenue Agency to provide income-tested benefits to individuals.
This includes the Canadian Child Benefit, recent additions to the Canadian Housing Benefit, and a temporary doubling of the GST tax credit.
A 2020 report co-authored by Jennifer Robson, associate professor of political management at Carleton University, estimates that between 10% and 12% of Canadians do not file their taxes.
All income groups had nonfilers, but the highest concentration was in low-income groups.
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The report estimates the value of lost profits for working-age nonfilers in 2015 at $1.7 billion.
The federal budget also reveals that the Canada Revenue Agency will expand access to a service set up in 2018 that allows some Canadians with low or fixed income to automatically submit simple returns over the phone. I made it
By 2025, 2 million Canadians will have access to the service, called File My Return, according to the budget. This is almost three times the number of people currently available.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
