A lot of people would prefer never to have to deal with the CRA outside of sending their tax returns in once a year. Unfortunately there are many circumstances that can arise where it is necessary for the tax payer to either contact the CRA or have some type of correspondence with them.
You can always converse with them through the mail, but they do have good telephone communication set up where you can get answers to your questions or tend to other matters.
It may be that you do not agree with your assessment. Or perhaps you owe them money and cannot pay it all at once. In either cases rather than do nothing you must be pro-active about your tax situation and attempt to work with the CRA to reach a good solution rather than be intimidated by them, which leads you to almost avoiding any contact with them.
Although the CRA is a very powerful segment of the Government they do have rules to follow when it comes to dealing with the public. You have the right to be treated in a fair and courteous manner.
Many times it may be you getting the phone call regarding your past due taxes rather than you calling them. The same rules apply they must treat you with respect, and you of course must do likewise.
If for some reason you feel that you are being treated unfairly in the approach that the CRA is taking with you then there are various steps you can take. Primarily this would come under the services category and you could lay a service complaint.
For example, if you find the agent you are dealing with is being overly aggressive or intimidating and for these reasons you don’t feel you can reach a solution then it may be worth going through the service complaint process. You do have to understand however that these officials have a job to do, and that is to get you to pay your unpaid taxes. At the same time they cannot create undue hardship for you in the process.
Other types of service delays include delays in a tax matter that you are dealing with, information that is unclear or misleads you, or mistakes that have been made on the part of the CRA that could lead you to making an error regarding your tax.
Tax obligations can create a great deal of stress but they are not something you have to handle alone. Using a reputable Toronto tax accountant can help ensure that you are doing your part when it comes to your tax filing responsibilities.
