Taxpayers complained of ‘greedy auditors’ in pollsters’ report to CRA: Study

Published Jan 07, 2025  •  1 minute read

A pollster report said taxpayers in Canada Revenue Agency focus groups complained in 2024 that they were the victim of “greedy auditors,” according to Blacklock’s Reporter. Photo by Getty Images

A pollster report said taxpayers in Canada Revenue Agency focus groups complained in 2024 that they were the victim of “greedy auditors,” according to Blacklock’s Reporter.

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CRA paid $169,196 for the study, which came after cabinet threatened to enact a capital gains tax increase.

“Impressions of Canada’s tax system focused on its complexity, lack of fairness and rates of taxation, which were characterized as high,” said the report, which polled 26 focus groups of taxpayers, small business owners, bookkeepers and accountants.

“This impression was conveyed through use of expressions such as ‘heavy,’ ‘heavily taxed,’ ‘taxed too much,’ ‘pay too much,’ ‘overtaxed,’ ‘greedy,’ ‘gouged,’ ‘brutal,’ ‘outrageous’ and ‘trying to get as much as possible.'”

The focus groups were conducted last June and July after Parliament passed a motion to hike the capital gains tax.

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“It was also suggested by a few participants that Canadians do not receive services commensurate with the tax rates they pay, that taxes are too high in relation to what most Canadians earn and that what Canadians pay in taxes is ‘annoying’ given how tax dollars are spent,” wrote researchers.

“Many participants do not think the Canada Revenue Agency administers the tax system consistently and fairly.”

They detailed a “widespread impression” that auditors target individuals and small firms less able to hire tax lawyers.

“It tends to focus on small players instead of wealthy individuals and large companies when it comes to enforcement efforts,” said the study.

“There was an assumption the agency tends to focus its enforcement activities on the middle and lower classes because compliance is more easily enforceable than it is when dealing with wealthy individuals and large corporations. The latter were seen as having ways and means to avoid compliance by taking advantage of loopholes in the tax code.”

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