Summary of the Corporate Business Plan 2004-2005 to 2006-2007 - Appeals

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Appeals

Through this business line, we provide clients with a fair dispute resolution process that respects their fundamental right to redress in their dealings with CCRA-administered programs. We review contested decisions relating to income tax, GST/HST, excise tax, the Canada Pension Plan, and Employment Insurance. Appeals also co-ordinates the Agency’s Fairness Initiative and administers the Voluntary Disclosures Program that allows clients to correct past errors or omissions in their tax obligations without penalty.

Strategies and Key Initiatives

The strategies and key initiatives for providing an impartial and timely review of contested decisions are:

Reduce turnaround times

Turnaround times are an important indicator of whether our redress process is responsive and serves the needs of our clients. We will continue implementing our Timeliness Improvement Initiative. This includes updating the Appeals Information and Reporting System (AIRS) to the Globus-Case system to allow more efficient tracking and reporting of dispute and litigation workloads.

Ensure that the Voluntary Disclosures Program (VDP) is fully integrated with CCRA compliance activities

We will implement an action plan that leads to full integration of the VDP with overall CCRA compliance efforts.

Ensure that fairness provisions are applied consistently across the Agency

We will move forward with proposals to coordinate the Fairness Initiative across the Agency, to ensure consistency in the way we apply the fairness provisions.

Enhance risk management for dispute and litigation issues

To integrate Appeal’s strategic and operational risk management processes, and to better focus the CCRA’s and Government’s overall policy approach, a number of committees have been created or revamped to provide a forum to:

ensure the effective horizontal management of risks arising from files in the appeals process; and
review and discuss significant adverse court decisions in order to identify the impact on the Agency of appealing or not appealing such decisions.

Have in place a sufficient number of skilled and knowledgeable staff to handle Appeals business

Appeals is pursuing a job classification review to increase recognition of the complex issues in staffing. A learning agent has been engaged to assess training needs.

Enhance accessibility, transparency, and consistency

Work will include providing clients with more efficient and effective service in a fiscally responsible manner. This includes:

rationalizing the number and location of offices
creating centres of appeals-related expertise
streamlining front-end processes to reduce turnaround times
enhancing our overall analytical capability with systems changes to facilitate more efficient tracking and reporting of dispute and litigation workloads

Exhibit 5: Anticipated Results and Performance Expectations for Appeals

Expected Outcome – Canadians receive an impartial and timely review of contested decisions
Anticipated Results	Performance Expectations/Indicators
Clients receive timely, accessible, reliable, and fair service that is responsive to their needs	Maintain or exceed the high levels of transparency, accessibility, and consistency reported since 2000-2001 Meet service standard for meaningful contact across all program areas Review findings of the Appeals Branch 2003 client survey, and action as required Meet targets for turnaround times in each year of the timeliness improvement initiative Increase productivity relative to intakes, as measured by the number of cases completed and complexity Reduce the average age of workable inventory, assuming stable intakes Reduce the inventory of Voluntary Disclosures cases Confirm through CCRA monitoring programs that the fairness provisions are being applied consistently across programs and regions Assure through risk management approach that all cases are resolved consistently, and complex cases are handled where expertise exists Demonstrate fairness, responsiveness and cost-effectiveness in resolution of appeals cases Majority of appeals cases are resolved administratively or CCRA’s original determinations are upheld by the courts

Expected Outcome – Canadians receive an impartial and timely review of contested decisions

Anticipated Results

Performance Expectations/Indicators

Clients receive timely, accessible, reliable, and fair service that is responsive to their needs

Maintain or exceed the high levels of transparency, accessibility, and consistency reported since 2000-2001
Meet service standard for meaningful contact across all program areas
Review findings of the Appeals Branch 2003 client survey, and action as required
Meet targets for turnaround times in each year of the timeliness improvement initiative
Increase productivity relative to intakes, as measured by the number of cases completed and complexity
Reduce the average age of workable inventory, assuming stable intakes
Reduce the inventory of Voluntary Disclosures cases
Confirm through CCRA monitoring programs that the fairness provisions are being applied consistently across programs and regions
Assure through risk management approach that all cases are resolved consistently, and complex cases are handled where expertise exists
Demonstrate fairness, responsiveness and cost-effectiveness in resolution of appeals cases

Majority of appeals cases are resolved administratively or CCRA’s original determinations are upheld by the courts

Date modified:: 2004-10-08

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