Action Task Force on Small Business

Objective:

The mandate of the Action Task Force on Small Business was to: identify which of the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA’s) administrative practices imposed the greatest burden on small businesses, develop solutions to reduce the burden, and introduce a systemic approach to burden reduction across the CRA.

Target Audience:

Small businesses

Start Date and End Date:

The CRA Action Task Force on Small Business Issues was created in August 2006. In its Closing Report on Action Items – October 2011, the CRA reported that all 61 action items recommended by the Action Task Force had been addressed.

Responsible Department or Agency:

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)

Partners:

N/A

Summary:

The CRA committed to focus its efforts in three key areas:

Simplify, improve and, where appropriate, reduce the frequency of small business interactions with the CRA;
Improve how and when the CRA communicates with small businesses; and
Make burden reduction systemic within the CRA.

The CRA also created a performance measurement framework that identifies:

Direct measures
- costs in time;
- costs in money; and
Indirect measures
- complexity of the compliance process; and
- quantity and quality of CRA services for taxpayers.

A CRA benchmark report was also published to provide a baseline for measuring future changes in the compliance burden of small businesses on an ongoing basis. The first status report, Measuring the Small Business Compliance Burden Status Report,was issued early in October 2011 and is available on the CRA website.

For additional information, please contact:

Media enquiries:

Noël Carisse
Media Relations
Canada Revenue Agency
Telephone: 613-952-9184

Other enquiries:

Maurice Levac
Director, Information Returns Division
Business Returns Directorate
Assessment and Benefit Services Branch
Canada Revenue Agency
Telephone: 613-941-5816
Email: MauriceJD.Levac@cra-arc.gc.ca