Press Conference Speech
April 1 2005
It’s time for Canadians to once again file their Income Tax returns and
pay their taxes. Just don’t try paying your taxes at the offices of the
Canada Revenue Agency. THIS IS NOT AN APRIL FOOL’S
JOKE!
Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m Betty Bannon, National President of the
Union of Taxation Employees, a component of the Public Service Alliance of
Canada. The Union of Taxation Employees, PSAC represents 23,000 members employed
by the Canada Revenue Agency.
Some time ago, the Government of Canada established an Expenditure Review
Committee to examine ways and means to save the government money. Each department
and agency was required to review how they conduct their business and to
make recommendations to this Committee to save money.
In spite of the Canada Revenue Agency’s slogan MORE
WAYS TO SERVE YOU!, one of the expenditure cuts proposed and accepted by the Canada Revenue
Agency was the closing of the cash and client service counters at the 47
Canada Revenue Agency Tax Offices across the country. Today, taxpayers can
walk into any of the client service counters in any of these 47 offices and
be provided with service. Individuals and small business owners rely on this
service to make payments in a number of ways, including cash. They currently
also have the opportunity to receive the answers they need with respect to
their personal and business tax questions. Problems with Income Tax assessments,
filing inquiries, Child Tax Benefits, GST rebates and other such matters
can be dealt with on the spot.
Although the Government announced its expenditure review initiative in its
recent budget announcement, the details of the service cuts have not been
announced. Furthermore, although the Canada Revenue Agency has already decided
to close its cash and client service counters, they have withheld this information
from the public. As a result, the Union of Taxation Employees, PSAC has decided
to launch a national campaign commencing today to announce this initiative
to the public and to strive to have the Liberal Government and the Canada
Revenue Agency to rescind this decision.
Members of the public visit the Agency’s client service counters for
a number of reasons. Primarily, these taxpayers want to receive their service
face to face. Even the Canada Revenue Agency itself acknowledges that this
service is greatly needed by calculating “wait times”. In its
2003-2004 report, the Agency standard was 20 minutes, which they admit they
achieved only 81% of the time. If members of the public have to wait for
service, it is clear that there is a need for the service, even though telephone
and electronic services are also available. And the members of the Union
of Taxation Employees, PSAC who are employed by the Canada Revenue Agency
also agree that this service is needed and wish to continue to provide this
service.
In future, instead of being able to walk in at their convenience, anyone
who needs tax assistance will now be required to phone the Agency and make
an appointment. The Agency call centres are already overworked and anyone
calling will now have to get in line just to make an appointment
The decision to close the cash and client counter and to eliminate this
service was not thought through by the Canada Revenue Agency, in our opinion.
The elimination of this service will affect all members of the public and
will profoundly affect seniors, low wage earners, recent immigrants who may
face language barriers, persons with literacy problems and citizens eligible
for GST rebates and Child Tax benefits. Frequent and regular users such as
Accountants, Lawyers, Tax Preparers and other Tax professionals will also
be greatly affected.
The Union of Taxation Employees, PSAC is at a loss to understand why the
Government of Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency would eliminate a service
that is so greatly needed by the Canadian public for the sole purpose of
saving money. We would understand, however, as we have done in the past,
when the Agency enhances services to the public through the introduction
or improvement of technology. This is not the case however, with the elimination of these services.
Canadian taxpayers are currently paying for these services through their
taxes and we are confident that they will insist on the continuation of these
services. In spite of this, these taxpayers are being told that they are
no longer welcome to walk into the offices of the Canada Revenue Agency without
an appointment and they will not receive the services that they deserve,
and that cash payments will not be accepted from them at these offices.
One focus of our national campaign is aimed at informing the public of this
unfair and arbitrary decision to eliminate services and to engage them in
assisting their own cause by voicing their dissent concerning this unjust
decision. To this end, we had attempted to have our members distribute literature
to the public today and to wear buttons with the slogan “You’ll
miss us when we’re gone” to bring this matter to the attention
of the public whom we are entrusted to serve. The Canada Revenue Agency’s
response to this was to deny all leave without pay and vacation requests
by our members to leaflet the public with information and not to allow them
to wear these buttons while serving the public. We believe that this is an
attempt to interfere with our right to publicize this decision. They have
also effectively placed a gag order on our members by directing them not
to discuss this issue with members of the public, even when raised by these
taxpayers whom we serve.
The Union of Taxation Employees, PSAC feels that you have the right to know!
We also intend to engage in a variety of activities to save these services,
including but not limited to, meeting with Members of Parliament, as well
as reaching out to affected organizations, such as seniors’ groups
like CARP, Canada’s Association for the Fifty Plus, whom we have a
representative in the audience today, tax professionals and other citizens
affected by this initiative. We also ask for the support of the Canadian
public and we ask that every Canadian strongly voice their objection to the
elimination of these services by contacting their Members of Parliament and
their local Canada Revenue Agency office.
Thank you.
Betty Bannon
National President
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