Contract #: 46575-194001/001/CY
Produced by Environics
Contract Award Date: 2018-09-25
Report Date: February 2019
Registration Number: POR 052-18
Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requires data on corporate-wide issues to provide public opinion context for:
Research was designed and conducted with the general public, business decision makers and tax intermediaries to gauge:
QB1. How would you rate the overall performance of the CRA? Please use a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 means “terrible” and 10 means “excellent”.
Base: all respondents (n=1,600)
| Poor (0 to 3) | Neutral (4 to 7) | Good (8 to 10) | Don't know |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8% | 48% | 39% | 5% |
QB2. Why do you rate the performance of the CRA as [insert rating] out of 10?
Base: all respondents who provided a valid response at QB1 (n=1,529)
| Good (8 to 10) | Neutral (4 to 7) | Poor (0 to 3) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive mentions (net) | 64% | 19% | 2% |
| Satisfied/no problems | 38% | 8% | 1% |
| Do a good job | 21% | 8% | Less than 1% |
| Helpful customer service (general) | 7% | 1% | -- |
| Responsive | 7% | 1% | -- |
| Negative mentions (net) | 26% | 56% | 88% |
| Tax system/feel overtaxed | 3% | 10% | 31% |
| Difficult to contact/poor communication | 5% | 11% | 16% |
| Room for improvement | 7% | 8% | 1% |
| Experienced personal issues/difficulties | 1% | 7% | 22% |
| Slow service/takes too long | 3% | 7% | 13% |
| Unhelpful/poor customer service | 2% | 4% | 24% |
| Info not clear/processes complicated | 3% | 5% | 6% |
| Poor problem resolution | 1% | 4% | 14% |
| Lack of efforts re: tax evasion/corruption | 2% | 5% | 9% |
| Privacy concerns | Less than 1% | 2% | 5% |
QB3. I would now like you to rate the CRA on a series of statements. Please use a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means completely disagree and 10 means completely agree.
Base: all respondents (n=1,600)
| Disagree (0 to 3) | Neutral (4 to 7) | Agree (8 to 10) | DK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processes your tax return in a timely manner | 4% | 25% | 69% | 1% |
| Treats taxpayers with respect | 7% | 34% | 56% | 3% |
| Can be trusted to do what is right in administering taxes/benefits | 11% | 37% | 50% | 3% |
| Makes the process of filing your taxes easy | 9% | 37% | 50% | 4% |
| Treats taxpayers fairly | 13% | 40% | 44% | 4% |
| Is efficient in its operations | 10% | 43% | 40% | 6% |
| The information provided by the CRA is easy to understand | 13% | 46% | 39% | 3% |
| Works hard at helping Canadians with tax/benefit matters | 10% | 46% | 38% | 6% |
QC1 Have you sent in your personal [Quebec only: federal] income tax return for 2017?
Base: all respondents (n=1,600)
QC2. Did you complete your 2017 tax return on your own, or did you receive help from someone else? (Using tax software does not count as receiving help)
Sub-sample: Those who filed their 2017 return (n=1,453)
QC3. From whom did you get help?
Sub-sample: Those who received help to file their return (n=1,106)
*Percentages shown are calculated out of the total who filed a 2017 return (n=1,453)
QC4a. How did you file your taxes? [If needed: That is, for example, did you file by mail or online?]
Sub-sample: Those who filed their 2017 return (n=1,447)
Percentages shown are based on those who filed a tax return in 2017
File by mail: 16%
File online: 78%
QD1. In the last 12 months, have you contacted the CRA, other than for sending in personal or business tax returns? (Contact includes seeking information; business refers to corporate, GST/HST, or payroll)
Base: all respondents (n=1,600)
21% have contacted CRA in the last 12 months.
QD1a.In which way have you most recently contacted the CRA in the past 12 months?
Sub-sample: Those who contacted the CRA in the past 12 months (n=326)
QSM1 Did you have any problems accessing the CRA during your most recent contact?
Sub-sample: Those who contacted the CRA in the past 12 months by telephone (n=251)
QSM2. What problem did you encounter?
Sub-sample: Those who encountered a problem contacting the CRA in the past 12 months (n=100)
| Problem | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Had to wait too long/put on hold | 59% |
| Difficult to reach correct dept./had to be transferred | 26% |
| Couldn't get through (general) | 26% |
| Line was busy/no answer | 22% |
| Had to call multiple times | 21% |
| Difficulty with automated menu | 12% |
| Poor/unhelpful customer service | 12% |
| Difficulty finding the right number | 10% |
| Other | 6% |
QD3. Was the purpose of your MOST RECENT contact to…?
Sub-sample: Those who contacted the CRA in the past 12 months by telephone (n=251)
| Purpose | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Seek clarification of information sent to you by CRA | 38% |
| Seek general information | 33% |
| Submit documents CRA requested | 21% |
| Try to resolve a dispute you had with the CRA | 20% |
| Make a payment owing on your taxes | 12% |
| Change information on file (i.e. address) | 4% |
| Seek information after filing your taxes | 1% |
| Seek information before filing your taxes | Less than 1% |
| Other | 4% |
QSM3. Was this most recent contact with CRA concerning:
Sub-sample: Those who contacted the CRA in the past 12 months by telephone (n=251)
| Reason | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Personal income tax | 43% |
| Benefits/credits other than Canada Child Benefit | 16% |
| GST/HST issue | 12% |
| Child Tax Benefit Program | 11% |
| Estate or trust tax issue | 6% |
| Corporate/business tax | 3% |
| Other | 12% |
| Don't know | 11% |
QSM4 And how satisfied are you with the amount of time it took to get service during this most recent contact with CRA? Please use a scale from 0 to 10 where 0 means that you are completely dissatisfied and 10 means that you are completely satisfied.
Sub-sample: Those who contacted the CRA in the past 12 months by telephone (n=251)
QSM5. Using a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 means “not at all knowledgeable” and 10 means “extremely knowledgeable”, how would you rate the level of knowledge of the CRA’s employee(s) you spoke to?
Sub-sample: Those who contacted the CRA in the past 12 months by telephone (n=251)
QD4. How satisfied are you with the overall quality of the service you received when you contacted the CRA on this most recent occasion? Please use a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 means completely dissatisfied and 10 means completely satisfied.
Sub-sample: Those who contacted the CRA in the past 12 months by telephone (n=251)
QD5. Did you get what you needed from the CRA on this particular occasion?
Sub-sample: Those who contacted the CRA in the past 12 months by telephone (n=251)
QSM6. IF YES AT QD5: Did you have to call more than once to get what you needed?
Sub-sample: Those who contacted the CRA in the past 12 months by telephone and got what they needed (n=194)
QSM7. Following your most recent contact with the CRA by phone, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Please use a scale from 0 to 10 where 0 means “completely disagree” and 10 means “completely agree”.
Sub-sample: Those who contacted the CRA in the past 12 months by telephone (n=251)
| Disagree (0 to 3) | Neutral (4 to 7) | Agree (8 to 10) | DK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I felt like the CRA cared about my unique situation | 22% | 30% | 43% | 5% |
| The CRA made me feel like a valued client | 23% | 31% | 44% | 2% |
QSM8. And to what extent would you say the service you received met your expectations? Please use a scale from 0 to 10 where 0 means “not at all” and 10 means “completely.
Sub-sample: Those who contacted the CRA in the past 12 months by telephone (n=251)
| Did not meet expectations (0 to 3) | Neutral (4 to 7) | Met expectations (8 to 10) | DK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General public | 18% | 24% | 55% | 2% |
QSM10. I would like to read you a list of situations where you may have to deal with the CRA. For each one, please tell me how you would PREFER to receive service or information from the CRA.
Base: all respondents (n=1,600)
| Seeking basic information | Needed clarification on document | Needed advice on personal tax matter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRA website | 48% | 11% | 16% |
| Call CRA | 29% | 63% | 57% |
| Email CRA | 9% | 14% | 12% |
| Mail CRA | 4% | 6% | 5% |
| Via accountant | 5% | 3% | 8% |
| Send CRA a fax | Less than 1% | less than 1% | less than 1% |
| Other | 3% | 2% | 2% |
QSM11. If the CRA needed to send you information, would you prefer to receive…?
Base: all respondents (n=1,600)
QSM12. If you had a disagreement with the CRA about your taxes, how confident are you that you would be able to get it resolved? Please use a scale from 0 to 10 where 0 means that you are not at all confident and 10 means that you are extremely confident.
Base: all respondents (n=1,600)
QSM14. I would now like to read you a list of statements. For each one, please use a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 means you completely disagree, and 10 means you completely agree.
Base: all respondents (n=1,600)
When contacting CRA by phone, able to receive service in Official Language of choice
CRA assumes taxpayers report taxes accurately unless evidence of the contrary
You know how to access the tax benefits/credits you are entitled to
QD6. Based on your experience, would you say the level of customer service provided by the CRA is better, about the same, or worse than the service you might receive from financial institutions with which you currently do business.
Base: all respondents (n=1,600)
QD7. And compared to two or three years ago, would you say that the level of service provided by the CRA is better, about the same or worse?
Base: all respondents (n=1,600)
QE1. In the past 12 months, have you visited the tax pages of the Canada.ca website to search for information on tax-related matters?
Base: all respondents (n=1,600)
QE2. I will now read you a list of statements about the tax pages of the Canada.ca website. For each one, please tell me whether you agree or disagree using a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 means “completely disagree” and 10 means “completely agree”.
Visited Canada.ca for tax information in past year (n=545)
| Disagree (0 to 3) | Neutral (4 to 7) | Agree (8 to 10) | DK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The website provides you with the information you need | 6% | 39% | 54% | 1% |
| The information provided on the tax pages of the Canada.ca website is easy to understand | 9% | 48% | 42% | 1% |
| It is easy to find the information you are looking for | 12% | 51% | 36% | 1% |
QE3. Have you registered with the CRA’s My Account online service?
Base: all respondents (n=1,600)
QE4. For each of the following statements about My Account, please tell me whether you agree or disagree, using a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 means “completely disagree” and 10 means “completely agree”.
Have registered with My Account (n=722)
| Disagree (0 to 3) | Neutral (4 to 7) | Agree (8 to 10) | DK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The services provided by My Account are relevant to your needs | 3% | 22% | 74% | 2% |
| You're confident that My Account is a secure online platform that protects your personal information | 3% | 22% | 73% | 1% |
| It is easy to use My Account | 8% | 30% | 59% | 2% |