From: AlanBaggett@volcanomail.com   
      
   Top Canada Revenue Agency executives pocket $35,000 a year in performance pay    
   :CRA SOTW   
      
   CRA executives make significantly more than others, but critics say it's not   
   justified   
      
   By Elizabeth Thompson, CBC News Posted: Jan 30, 2018 4:00 AM ET Last Updated:   
   Jan 30, 2018 5:22 AM ET    
      
   At the CRA, performance pay comes on top of base salaries that run from   
   $152,800 to $202,500 for those in the EX-4 and EX-5 categories. (Sean   
   Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)    
      
   Top executives at the Canada Revenue Agency have been taking home   
   substantially more performance pay than executives in other government   
   departments, CBC News has learned.   
      
   An analysis of numbers provided by the CRA reveals that officials in the EX-4   
   and EX-5 categories — the top two tiers — have been receiving twice as   
   much "at risk" pay than other federal government executives. While the top   
   average "at risk" pay in    
   the rest of the public service for 2015/16 was $18,000, CRA's top executives   
   pocketed an average of $35,000.   
      
   When "at risk" pay and bonuses are combined, the top CRA executives still   
   outpaced their colleagues in other departments that year by 33 per cent.   
      
   While most government executives are eligible for both "at risk" pay and   
   bonuses, CRA's executive performance pay system only provides for the one   
   category of  "at risk" pay.   
      
   Like many corporations, the federal government offers a system of performance   
   pay designed to attract top talent into the public service.    
      
   Those who perform to the level expected get "at risk" pay, a term that   
   reflects the fact that executives and deputy ministers risk not receiving it   
   if their performance is not satisfactory.   
      
   When it comes to doling out performance pay, executives and deputy ministers   
   are evaluated on how successful they have been in running their departments   
   and in implementing objectives set by the government.   
      
   At the CRA, the performance pay comes on top of base salaries that run from   
   $152,800 to $202,500 for those in the EX-4 and EX-5 categories.   
      
   In 2016/17, the same CRA officials took home an average of more than $29,000.   
   Equivalent figures for that year are not yet available for the rest of the   
   public service.   
      
   New Democratic Party Revenue critic Pierre-Luc Dusseault questions whether   
   such large performance paycheques are justified, given the problems at CRA in   
   recent years.   
      
   "When you're a regular Canadian and you have difficulty just to call someone   
   at the CRA, you have difficulty accessing a service, and you see those   
   executives giving themselves performance pay, it's upsetting and it's   
   frustrating for people looking at    
   that situation."   
      
   NDP MP Pierre-Luc Dusseault said he was very surprised top CRA executives are   
   getting that much performance pay — particularly given the problems with the   
   call centre. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)   
      
   The analysis by CBC News found that not only are top executives at the CRA   
   making more in performance pay than executives in other government departments   
   and agencies, they're also taking home more performance pay and bigger   
   increases than other    
   executives at their own agency.   
      
   The average performance pay for those in the EX-1 to EX-3 category in 2015/16   
   was only $11,824, rising 2.4 per cent in 2016/17 to $12,105.   
      
   According to the figures provided by the CRA, there were between 27 and 34   
   people in the EX-4 or EX-5 category between 2014 and 2017, compared with   
   between 488 and 515 in the EX-1 to EX-3 categories.   
      
   The total amount spent on performance pay for CRA executives was $6.8 million   
   in 2015/16 and $6.9 million in 2016/17.   
      
   In addition, it spent $5 million in performance pay for managers in 2015/16   
   and $4 million in 2016/17.   
      
   The agency defends the performance pay, saying officials only get it if they   
   get results.   
      
   "Executives do not earn performance pay if they do not meet performance   
   expectations," wrote spokesperson Karl Lavoie. "The assessment of these   
   expectations must consider both what results were achieved as well as how they   
   were achieved based on the Key    
   Leadership Competencies outlined by the Treasury Board secretariat and rated   
   accordingly."   
      
   Lavoie said executives are assessed according to the government-wide   
   priorities such as healthier workplaces and diversity as well as the agency's   
   priorities.   
      
   But critics question why the CRA's top executives are getting so much in   
   performance pay when the agency is under fire for its performance.   
      
   For example, they cite a damning auditor general's report that found the   
   agency couldn't handle high call volumes, often didn't answer the phone and   
   gave taxpayers incorrect information 30 per cent of the time.   
      
   Conservative Revenue critic Pat Kelly says news of the performance pay cheques   
   comes as the CRA has tried to deny some Canadians disability tax credits and   
   tax employee benefits. (Christian Diotte, House of Commons)   
      
   Dusseault said he was very surprised top CRA executives are getting that much   
   performance pay — particularly given the problems with the call centre.   
      
   "Many Canadians have found there were many problems with the CRA, many   
   problems getting services from the CRA and now we see those executives   
   (getting) money for their performance when Canadians don't think the   
   performance was good in the last two years."   
      
   Dusseault also called into question the CRA's performance when it comes to   
   taking action on offshore tax evasion in the wake of the Panama Papers, the   
   Paradise Papers and other leaks of offshore tax account information.   
      
   "When we look at other tax agencies around the world, they are much better at   
   going after tax cheats."   
      
   Conservative MP Pat Kelly questioned the level of performance pay for top   
   executives, particularly given recent attempts to deny some Canadians the   
   disability tax credit and the attempt to tax employee benefits.   
      
   "It does seem strange that particular department would stand out for having   
   the highest levels of executive compensation," he said.   
      
   Kelly said Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier said the CRA was on track to   
   recover nearly $25 billion in unpaid taxes only to have the CRA admit it   
   wasn't going to be able to collect a lot of that money.   
      
   "I think many Canadians are concerned about the performance of the Canada   
   Revenue Agency," he said.   
      
   Dusseault and Kelly both said the executive performance pay at CRA should be   
   examined.   
      
   Elizabeth Thompson can be reached at elizabeth.thompson@cbc.ca   
      
      
      
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