Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson 2019 - 2020
As required by the Treasury Board Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures, this report provides information on travel, hospitality and conference expenditures for Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020.
Travel, hospitality and conference expenditures incurred by a federal department or agency relate to activities that support the department or agency’s mandate and the government’s priorities.
Mandate:
The mandate of the OTO is to assist, advise, and inform the Minister of National Revenue about any matter relating to services provided to a taxpayer by the Canada Revenue Agency in order to support the government’s priorities of maintaining stronger democratic institutions, increased transparency and, the fair treatment of taxpayers.
Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2020
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2020 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2019 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Operational activities |
$43.00 |
$36.00 |
$7.00 |
Key stakeholders |
$3.00 |
$5.00 |
-$2.00 |
Internal governance |
$1.00 |
$1.00 |
$0.00 |
Training |
$7.00 |
$6.00 |
$1.00 |
Other |
$0.00 |
$1.00 |
-$1.00 |
| A. Total travel | $54.00 |
$49.00 |
$5.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $0.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $13.00 |
$18.00 |
-$5.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $67.00 |
$67.00 |
$0.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $0.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
In 2019-2020, the OTO’s travel expenditures increased by $5,000, mainly the result of increased outreach activities to continue raising awareness of taxpayer rights, the role of the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson, and the work of OTO to assist complainants through independent and objective reviews of service-related complaints and systemic issues.
Hospitality:
Not applicable
Conference fees:
The decrease of $5,000 in conference fees is mainly attributable to the cancellation of various planned events.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Not applicable