Revenue Canada makes transition to Canada Customs and Revenue Agency

OTTAWA (Nov. 5, 1999) — Revenue Canada didn’t disappear, it simply gave way to the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) this week — leaving Canadians to hope that the new name is indicative of a new, more streamlined approach to tax, customs, and trade administration.

Bill C-43, the legislation creating the CCRA, received royal assent on April 29, 1999. As an agency, the CCRA said it will have the flexibility to create internal policies that make sense for the business it does, and the ability to collect taxes on behalf of the provinces and territories, whether or not their tax formulas are harmonized with the federal government’s.

The CCRA continues to be accountable to the Minister of National Revenue, Parliament, and the Canadian public for the delivery of tax, customs, and trade programs. Its phone numbers and office locations are staying the same.