Canada Revenue Agency national headquarters, Ottawa. Photo by Chris Fournier/Flickr.

At a time when Canadians are dealing with a cost-of-living crisis, recent headlines about longer wait times for tax refunds make it clear that a vital part of ensuring ordinary people get the relief they deserve is ensuring the Canada Revenue Agency has the resources it needs to deliver it.

Imagine trying to balance your household budget by turning down a raise or refusing to cash a paycheque. That’s effectively what the federal government is doing at the CRA.

As Ottawa moves to cut public services and jobs in the name of fiscal discipline, it is also cutting CRA tax experts, weakening its ability to collect revenue. If that course of action seems backwards to you, it’s because it is. These reductions are a deliberate choice to leave tax dollars on the table, and they mean asking millions of working Canadians to shoulder more of the tax burden while a coddled group of wealthy individuals and corporations avoid paying their fair share.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer has estimated that Canada loses as much as $25 billion a year through profit shifting and other tax avoidance strategies. Research by........

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