From: AlanBaggett@volcanomail.com   
      
   Canada Revenue Agency reviewing issue of taxpayers wrongfully declared dead:   
   CRA SOTW   
      
   Jason Fekete    
   Published: January 7, 2014, 5:03 pm    
   Updated: 16 hours ago    
      
      
   OTTAWA — The Canada Revenue Agency says it hasn’t yet been determined whether   
   the CRA has a “systemic issue” with wrongfully declaring taxpayers dead,   
   despite briefing notes to the new minister identifying that issue and a   
   handful of others as problems    
   that need to be addressed.   
      
   Federal Taxpayers’ Ombudsman Paul Dube is finalizing a special report on the   
   specific matter of taxpayers wrongfully declared dead that is expected to be   
   released early this year, according to his office.   
      
   Briefing materials provided to new Revenue Minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay as   
   part of the July cabinet shuffle, and obtained by Postmedia News under   
   access-to-information legislation, noted three “systemic issues” were under   
   review by the CRA, including “   
   taxpayers wrongfully declared deceased.”   
      
   “The Taxpayers’ Ombudsman is currently reviewing a number of systemic issues   
   and additional special reports are anticipated in 2012-13. The systemic issues   
   currently under review include three that were requested by the previous   
   (Revenue) Minister, the    
   Honourable Gail Shea: CRA training videos; Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB)   
   calculation errors; Taxpayers wrongfully declared deceased,” say briefing   
   materials provided to Findlay in July 2013.   
      
   The Canada Revenue Agency acknowledges errors are made “occasionally” with   
   taxpayer death notifications, but insists the numbers are small. Of the more   
   than 380,000 total deaths reported to the CRA in 2012, errors occurred in 0.1   
   per cent of the cases (   
   around 380 cases), says the CRA.   
   “At this time, it has not been determined that taxpayers erroneously declared   
   as deceased is in fact a systemic issue. The Office of the Taxpayers’   
   Ombudsman is reviewing this situation and has not yet made a determination,”   
   CRA spokesperson Mylene    
   Croteau said this week in an email.   
      
   The CRA receives taxpayer death notifications from sources such as family   
   members and other government agencies.   
      
   The Canada Revenue Agency has recently signed agreements with most provincial   
   vital statistics agencies to receive taxpayer death information    
   lectronically, which has reduced the number of errors, she said.   
   The other “systemic issues” identified, including ensuring CRA training videos   
   respect the taxpayer bill of rights and concerns over Canada Child Tax Benefit   
   calculation errors, have already been addressed by the taxpayers’ ombudsman in   
   previous reports.   
      
   Briefing materials provided to the new minister also highlighted “a planned   
   reduction in auditor positions,” at the same time the CRA acknowledged   
   problems tracking and collecting billions of dollars in unreported income from   
   domestic and international    
   tax evasion.   
      
   Former minister Shea had insisted in question period that “not one audit   
   position will be eliminated.”   
   The Conservative government’s 2012 and 2013 budget cuts will see the CRA slash   
   approximately $313 million annually and more than 3,100 full-time positions by   
   2017-18.   
      
   However, the agency said this week the number of auditors increased from 5,297   
   to 5,695 between April 1, 2006 and April 1, 2013.   
      
   The CRA also noted the number of full-time positions in the International   
   Audit Program increased from 305 in 2005-06 to 422 in 2012-13.   
      
   But the CRA’s own data also show the number of employees in the International   
   Audit Program has decreased from 459 positions in 2008-09.   
      
   The number of positions in the Aggressive Tax Planning Program (which includes   
   both domestic and international cases), while up substantially from 2005-06,   
   actually decreased to 468 full-time equivalents in 2012-13 from 506 in 2009-10.   
      
   “It’s all window dressing. Everything is done on the cheap,” said Liberal Sen.   
   Percy Downe, one of the most vocal critics of the CRA’s efforts on combatting   
   international tax evasion.   
      
   “It appears there’s a serious leadership issue within the department. Either   
   ministers are being misinformed by the department or ministers are trying to   
   mislead Canadians on how active they are on overseas tax evasion.”   
      
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