The introduction of a pre-completed income tax return would be too complex and would prevent certain taxpayers from obtaining all the tax deductions to which they are entitled, concluded Revenu Québec.
The tax agency ruled out the possibility of generalizing this option following preliminary analyzes, which were interrupted due to the pandemic.
However, Revenu Québec has given itself five years to determine whether it is possible to facilitate the filing of income tax returns for certain taxpayers who exclusively benefit from government programs.
In 2018, the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard, was in favor of simplifying declarations when possible. His office then indicated that work was underway with Revenu Québec.
A spokeswoman recently told the To have to that the agency does not consider the possibility of offering taxpayers the option of a pre-filled form that would include tax information to facilitate and speed up their declaration.
“Preliminary analyzes carried out by Revenu Québec indicated that, although the idea of a pre-filled return could portend many gains in simplicity, in practice, its widespread implementation is very complex and does not necessarily allow individuals to benefit from the amounts to which they are entitled, answered Marie-Pierre Blier. However, this analytical work has been interrupted due to the pandemic. »
More efficient software
Mme Blier explained that Revenu Québec does not have all the tax information of taxpayers, which could lead some to not submit the information allowing them to complete their return with additional tax deductions.
“Revenu Québec does not have all the information needed to pre-fill tax returns, such as information relating to child care expenses provided by an individual, medical expenses, charitable donations or the election to take advantage of income splitting , said the spokeswoman. Thus, certain specific or family situations that would allow you to benefit from an amount or a deduction could not be considered. »
Tax software designed by private companies and currently sold on the market offers significant advantages, including family optimization between spouses, underlines the tax agency.
“By using software to prepare their tax returns, many individuals benefit from family optimization mechanisms or tax advice,” said Ms.me Blier. In an approach where the declaration would be pre-filled by Revenu Québec, individuals would not be able to take advantage of these mechanisms because, for example, Revenu Québec does not necessarily have the family situation up to date, so it would not pre-fill declarations simultaneously. »
tax software
Revenu Québec also relies on the downloading of tax data that is used for software on sale on the market.
“In order to allow individuals to take advantage of the advantages of a pre-completed return and even more, Revenu Québec has been offering citizens for several years the possibility of downloading their tax data into their tax software, and we are improving this function each year in collaboration with software developers,” said Mr.me Blier.
It was not possible to know if work will continue to examine the possibility of offering a pre-filled declaration more widely.
In May 2019, while the project of a pre-filled return was still under study, the president and CEO of Revenu Québec, Carl Gauthier, had already judged that it would be too complex to offer it to most taxpayers. .
However, Revenu Québec wishes to continue exploring how to simplify the process for certain clienteles by 2027. According to Ms.me Blier, the agency potentially targets taxpayers whose income comes exclusively from government programs, without however specifying which ones.
“It is too early to identify the clienteles and programs targeted by the measures that will be put in place to facilitate the filing of income tax returns,” she said. However, the evaluation of the possibility of setting up a pre-filled declaration for a targeted clientele will be part of the reflections. »