CRA workers want 'unprecedented' pay raise of more than 30% over 3 years

The union representing Canada Revenue Agency workers is proposing a series of pay bumps worth more than 30 per cent of current wages to keep up with inflation — a move described by observers as both "unprecedented" and "crazy."

The Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) is proposing the following wage increases, on top of a one-time nine per cent wage adjustment:

When compounded over three years, the four proposed hikes would result in a "historic" wage increase for the largest workforce within the federal public service, at nearly 55,000 employees in 2022, said union president Marc Brière.

About 35,000 of those employees are represented by UTE. 

Brière said the proposal aims to address an imbalance between CRA employees represented by UTE and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which has approximately 14,000 employees. 

The two agencies used to function as one between 1999 and 2003 where employees were paid the same rate. Once they became independent of each other, it created a wage gap of nine per cent because CBSA uses the Excise Act.

"They used to sit side-by-side in the early 2000s. They were the same group and occupation, the same classification, and then making the same amount of money," Brière said.

As of 2021, wages at the CRA have ranged between $41,658 and $121,923, compared to the CBSA which range from $64,849 and $135,509.

This graph shows how wages compare for similar administrative positions within the two agencies.

The proposal comes at a time when Canada's Taxpayers' Ombudsperson is dealing with a historic amount of public complaints about the CRA over delays in people receiving benefits, tax returns and access to CRA accounts. 

However, it appears CRA employees' wages may also lag behind other federal agencies deemed outside the government's core public administration. 

Direct comparisons are difficult to pinpoint due to differences in roles and salary designations. This chart does show what a mid-level CRA employee makes after three years, compared to administrative counterparts in the next three largest federal agencies.

The discrepancy doesn't add up with the work CRA employees have been asked to do, said Brière, especially in recent years because of the pandemic.

"We have people that are specialized. The Income Tax Act is complex and they are doing great work. They have proven it during the pandemic, not only administering the income tax programs but even the emergency programs, which is not in our portfolio," he said.