Tax Information Slips and Tax Information Slip System

Introduction

The Accounts Receivable and Revenue Management (ARRM) Unit of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is responsible for the issuance of AGR1 (Relevé 21) and T4A (Relevé 1) slips to Canadian producers, researchers, and employees who have received taxable benefits from AAFC over the course of the previous calendar year. These slips indicate to the receiving parties the total taxable income that must be reported in their filing(s) for the current taxation year.

In 2010, the ARRM unit implemented the Tax Information Slip System (TISS), an upgrade to the existing system used to issue the tax slips.

Objective

As the issuance of tax slips involves the management of personal information, a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) was conducted to determine if there were any privacy risks, and if so, to make recommendations for their resolution or mitigation.

Description

The initial collection of personal information occurs outside of the ARRM section and is conducted by the programs or activities providing the taxable benefit. The relevant tax information is then uploaded within the TISS system for use in issuance of tax slips.

The scope of the PIA was restricted to the business process and basic data flows of personal information associated with the issuance of tax information slips by ARRM and included an assessment of the TISS system.

The Personal Information Bank (PIB) PSU 932, outlines the details regarding the personal information collected under the ARRM programming, including the purpose, use, retention and disposal standards.

Conclusion

As a result of the PIA, measures have been determined to mitigate risks associated with the collection of personal information. These include: a review of retention and disposition schedules, increased privacy training for staff, and development of service level agreements.

For further information please contact:

Access to Information and Privacy
Tower 4, 5th Floor
1341 Baseline Road, Room 264
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0C5
Telephone: 613-773-1390
Facsimile: 613-773-1380
Email: aafc.atip-aiprp.aac@agr.gc.ca