A majority of Canadians believe the federal tax system is stacked against the middle class while allowing wealthier individuals to avoid their fair share, according to internal research commissioned by the Canada Revenue Agency.Blacklock's Reporter says the CRA’s 2025 Annual Corporate Research report found that 60% of respondents agreed that rich people have an easier time cheating on their taxes than middle class Canadians. Nearly half — 45% — also said they believe the CRA targets middle class taxpayers while ignoring wealthy individuals and corporations.The survey, conducted by Ottawa-based Quorus Consulting Group, polled 2,400 Canadians including small business owners, accountants and general taxpayers. The CRA spent $179,528 on the research project..“There was specific interest in gauging how respondents viewed the Revenue Agency’s treatment of rich people without defining ‘rich,’” the report stated. Participants were asked to rate their level of agreement on various statements using a 10-point scale.Findings showed that respondents with only a high school education were more likely to believe that wealthy Canadians have more opportunity to cheat the system. Many also expressed concern about fairness and transparency in tax enforcement.When asked if the CRA should publish the names of people found guilty of tax offences in court, 34% said yes. The agency currently posts a limited list of convictions under its Enforcement Notifications section..“The Revenue Agency seeks publicity on conviction in the case of tax evasion,” the CRA said in a statement. “It does this to maintain confidence in the integrity of the self-assessment system and to increase compliance with the law through the deterrent effect of such publicity.”The survey also revealed that most Canadians feel they are overtaxed for the level of services they receive from the federal government. When asked directly whether they pay too much in taxes, 58% said yes. That number was even higher — 69% — among those aged 35 to 49.Regionally, Ontarians were the most likely to say they paid too much tax (63%), followed by Atlantic Canada (61%), Alberta (58%), Québec (57%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (54%), and British Columbia (47%). In B.C., 14% of respondents said they paid too little.
