Tips when Dealing With CRA Part 5

We have been discussing some of the tactics used by CRA and how to deal with them. So far we’ve gone through 5 of them. Here are some more:

6. Confusion – Because the CRA is so big and has so many departments in different cities, you may find that more than 1 person is dealing with your file or you may find your file gets passed from one department/city to another without you even knowing it. You also may find that one CRA agent will tell you one thing, but another CRA agent tells you something different. This is yet another reason to deal with CRA in writing. Putting things in writing clarifies things and can assist in holding parties accountable.

7. Coercion – CRA may Coerce you to pay even when you don’t think you owe anything. A CRA collector is just doing their job – collect from people. If you don’t agree with their assessment, appeal! If your file is in appeal, they are not allowed to collect the amount from you as it is not confirmed as owing until the appeal is completed. You can utilize the Taxpayer Bill of Rights to help in understanding your rights here.

8. Garnishees – If amounts are confirmed as owing CRA could garnish your pay cheques. If you do owe an amount to CRA, then make arrangements with them. If you make arrangements and stick to your arrangements then they will not typically garnish you. This is mostly for people on payroll (employees)

9. Liens on property – CRA may go as far as putting a lien on your property so if you ever sold it, they would get paid. To avoid this don’t own properties in the name that has the liability. If you do work that can incur liability then have your spouse own the property or own it in a trust.

I will discuss more on my next blog!