Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition on behalf of fellow professional chartered accountants and others who are raising concerns about how the Canada Revenue Agency has authorized its tax representatives.
Petitioners point out that the CRA has moved to an online system, “My Account”, creating real barriers for many Canadians. Seniors, persons with disabilities, those without reliable Internet and those without digital skills are being left behind. Many individuals rely on trusted tax preparers to meet their obligations. To get the appropriate authorization has become unreliable, and there is bureaucratic red tape to get through in order to be authorized. That process worked only a year ago but now has become quite difficult.
Therefore, if the government would go back to the previous tax system, it would correct the unfair penalizing of taxpayers who are trying to get a new tax preparer. The petitioners state that they are calling for the government to restore accessible authorization methods for approved tax preparers and to ensure that fraud prevention efforts are targeted only at those who actually break the rules.