Canadian Revenue Agency Pledges To Maintain Services Despite Strike

by MIke Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington

10 September 2004

Canadian taxpayers are facing weeks of disruption in their dealings with the Canadian Revenue Agency after the tax department’s employees began to walk out on strike this week.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada revealed that over 4,000 employees of the Revenue Agency began picketing in British Columbia on Wednesday with employees also setting up picket lines in other cities, including Toronto.

In all some 22,000 tax agency employees will be on a rotating strike over a wage dispute with the government department responsible for collecting income and Goods and Service Tax.

According to Colette Gentes-Hawn, a spokeswoman for the Canada Revenue Agency, essential programs like the Canada Child Tax Benefit and the GST Credit will not be disrupted by the strike – despite the fact the checks are due to be issued next month.

"If you are due a refund from a late-filed tax return or adjustment, we'll do our best to minimize the delay but there might still be some," she added.

Reg Alcock, president of the Treasury Board, the department that oversees government spending, has downplayed suggestions that increasing tax revenues resulting from Canada's improving economy makes it more difficult to resist worker pay demands.

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