Only 18 per cent of calls to the Canada Revenue Agency received a timely answer in the last fiscal year, the federal Auditor-General said in a new report that lambasted the tax agency’s management of its call centres.

The report also found 17 per cent of general inquiries about individual tax matters received accurate responses over the same time period.

The audit found a steep decline in the CRA’s service levels over the past three fiscal years that was closely correlated with staffing reductions at its call centres across the country.

The agency slashed the number of agents available to take calls from taxpayers from more than 5,800 at the end of March, 2024 to just over 3,5000 by the end of May, 2025, according to the report. The job cuts continued despite a recent increase in call volumes.