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Canada Revenue Agency

What Canada Revenue Agency spent in fiscal year 2022-23: its net expenditure by standard object, from the Public Accounts of Canada, Volume II.

What Canada Revenue Agency does

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is the federal institution responsible for administering tax laws, enforcing compliance, and delivering key benefit programs to individuals and businesses across Canada. Established in 1999 under the Canada Revenue Agency Act, the CRA collects the taxes that make up most federal revenues, and it administers benefits and credits paid to Canadians, including the Canada Child Benefit and the GST/HST credit.

Spending, 2022-23

Net spending, 2022-23

$13.1B

spent by Canada Revenue Agency, less revenues it kept

Share, 2022-23

3.4%

of the net spending of every federal organization

How did Canada Revenue Agency spend its budget in 2022-23?

By standard object. Revenues it kept are negative and netted against its spending. Transfer payments are broken into their largest named programs.

Spending by standard object, 2022-23

Transfer payments

Personnel

Professional and special services

Rentals

Transportation and communications

Repair and maintenance

Acquisition of machinery and equipment

Information

Utilities, materials and supplies

Other subsidies and payments

Internal revenues

$7.36B

$5.13B

$492M

$290M

$88.1M

$69.7M

$64.7M

$21.6M

$15.5M

$12.1M

-$441M

Total: $13.1B.

Workforce, 2022-23

Full-time equivalents

55,168

the actual FTEs of its programs, as GC InfoBase reports them

Personnel spending

$5.13B

salaries, wages and benefits (the personnel standard object)

Personnel spending per FTE

$93K

personnel spending divided by full-time equivalents

A full-time equivalent is a measure of employment, not a headcount: two half-time employees are one FTE. Personnel spending includes benefits and pension contributions, so per FTE it is not an average salary.

Transfer payment programs, 2022-23

The grants, contributions and other transfers Canada Revenue Agency paid, program by program: $7.36B in all, against $7.36B for the transfer payments object above (the Public Accounts publish the two tables separately).

Distribution of fuel charge (Climate Action Incentive Payment) under section 165 of the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing ActPaymentsOther transfer$6,823,776,253
Children's Special Allowance payments (Children's Special Allowance Act)PaymentsOther transfer$368,192,202
Return fuel charge proceeds to farming businessesPaymentsOther transfer$129,365,039
Distribution of fuel and excess emission charges (to provinces and territories) under sections 165 and 188 of the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing ActPaymentsOther transfer$40,623,071
Community Volunteer Income Tax Program GrantPaymentsGrant$2,976,230
5 programs$7,364,932,795

Contracts of $10,000 and under

Contracts this small are not published one by one: Treasury Board publishes each organization's totals, by calendar year, for contracts of $10,000 and under (their original value and their amendments) and for acquisition card purchases. They are the value of contracts entered into, not what was paid in a fiscal year, so they are not part of the net expenditure above, and the years are calendar years.

Calendar yearGoodsServicesConstructionAcquisition cardsTotal
2025$65,260-$452,215$0$33,815,988$33,429,033
2023$513,478$74,268,621$0$51,318,310$126,100,409
2021$450,276$606,611$1,476$49,611,894$50,670,258
2020$450,276$606,611$1,476$49,611,894$50,670,258
2019$651,278$809,430$0$48,839,846$50,300,554
2018$889,069$414,684$0$48,022,876$49,326,629
2017$1,271,138$503,021$0$39,406,012$41,180,172

Canada Revenue Agency’s share of federal net spending

Each year is the organization that existed that year:

  • Canada Revenue Agency, 2005-06 to 2025-26
  • Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, 2002-03 to 2004-05