Upcoming CRA report to gauge how agency can better support Indigenous Peoples during tax season – National Observer
April 13th 2023
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is set to release a report in the coming days outlining the challenges Indigenous Peoples face in filing tax returns and proposing solutions to make the process easier.
An access-to-information request filed by Canada’s National Observer reveals the CRA reached out to national Indigenous organizations last year in an effort to improve Indigenous Peoples’ tax filing experience and access to benefits.
The documents include a 2022 briefing note asking CRA commissioner Bob Hamilton to sign letters addressed to the Assembly of First Nations, Métis National Council, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. According to the documents, the CRA wanted to inform the organizations of public opinion research involving Indigenous Peoples. The goal of the research was to improve Indigenous Peoples’ awareness and access to benefits and credits for which they are eligible after previous studies suggested the need for greater outreach.
The new report will include an updated version of two public opinion research studies completed by the CRA in 2017. Those studies found the CRA needed to provide greater outreach to urban Indigenous Peoples to increase awareness and understanding of benefits associated with filing tax returns, according to a summary of the 2017 report.
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