Principal Issues: Tax Earned by Auditor (TEBA)
TEBA is a metric used by CRA to evaluate and allocate audit resources to individual Tax Services Offices (TSOs). TEI questions whether TEBA is an appropriate measure to motivate auditors and TSOs to perform in the best interests of the Agency. We invite CRA's views on its use of TEBA.
Position: See response.
2011 TEI-CRA Liaison Meeting
December 6, 2011
Question 8 - Tax Earned by Auditor (TEBA)
Organizational behaviour theory posits that the behaviour of individuals and groups is strongly influenced by the metrics used to measure performance. In other words, "you get what you measure." TEBA is a metric used by CRA to evaluate and allocate audit resources to individual Tax Services Offices (TSOs). TEI questions whether TEBA is an appropriate metric to motivate auditors and TSOs to perform in the best interests of the Agency.
We invite CRA's views on its use of TEBA.
CRA Response
Tax Earned By Audit - TEBA, is only one component of the overall measurement framework used to evaluate taxpayers' compliance rate, as well as the performance of the Audit program in the Agency. No individual quotas are assigned to any auditor.
Auditors are instructed to use a risk-based approach to identify current and emerging compliance risks and issues; based on which tax returns and cases are selected for audit. Our approach in the Large Business compliance area involves establishing collaborative/cooperative relationships with taxpayers so that compliance issues can be identified and resolved as early as possible in the audit process, thereby efficiencies for all parties involved may be realized.