The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is failing to meet even its basic service standards, raising questions about Ottawa’s plan to have the agency automatically file tax returns for millions of Canadians.

A new audit from the Office of the Auditor General found that in 2024-25, only 18 per cent of callers to CRA contact centres had their calls answered within 15 minutes. In June, that number dropped to just five per cent. Even when taxpayers managed to reach an agent, the advice they received was often inaccurate — only 17 per cent of answers to individual tax questions were found to be both correct and complete.

Despite these findings, the federal government is moving ahead with a plan announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney to expand the CRA’s responsibilities. Starting in 2026, the agency will begin automatically filing tax returns for some low-income Canadians, with the goal of including about 5.5 million people by 2028.

Supporters say the change will make it easier for people who don’t normally file to access benefits. But critics argue that an agency unable to answer calls accurately or promptly should not be trusted to prepare Canadians’ taxes. Taxpayers remain legally responsible for the information the CRA files, even when errors originate within the agency.

For many, the audit’s findings will sound familiar. A typical taxpayer receives a notice from the CRA, calls the number provided, waits on hold, and finally reaches an agent—only to be given advice that may later prove incorrect. When the mistake surfaces, it is the taxpayer who faces penalties and interest, not the agency.

The audit also revealed that the CRA received more than 32 million calls last year, yet only one-third reached an agent. Both wait times and error rates have worsened since a similar review in 2017.

Automatic filing assumes the CRA’s systems are accurate and dependable. But with persistent service failures and low accuracy rates, that assumption appears doubtful. While automatic filing may help those with simple tax situations, it could create new problems for others if errors go unnoticed.

If an agency cannot reliably answer the phone or provide correct information, its readiness to take over Canadians’ tax filings raises a larger question: should a department struggling to deliver basic service be trusted to do your taxes?