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MONCTON, NEW BRUNSWICK -- (Marketwire) -- 01/21/13 -- Editors' Note: There is a photo associated with this press release.

The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of National Revenue, accompanied by Robert Goguen, Member of Parliament for Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe, today announced new red tape relief for Canadian companies as part of the Harper Government's commitment to support jobs, growth, and long-term prosperity.

As part of the Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) plan to reduce red tape, Minister Shea unveiled the introduction of "Agent ID," a new addition to the CRA's business enquiries telephone service. The Agent ID number will provide increased accountability for business calls to the CRA. Having the Agent ID makes it easier for business owners and representatives to provide feedback on CRA services, and ensures a consistent and user-friendly experience for callers.

"During the consultations that led to our Government's Red Tape Reduction Action Plan, businesses identified the need for enhanced phone services at the CRA," said Minister Shea. "With the introduction of the new Agent ID number, our Government is acting on a key problem identified by the business community."

The Agent ID requires agents to provide their first name, a number, and a regional suffix (such as O-N-T or A-T-L for Ontario or Atlantic Region) at the beginning of each call.

"The Agent ID number is a key way for businesses to rely on the advice given to them from the CRA Call Centre," said Corinne Pohlmann, Vice-president of National Affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. "Complying with a complicated tax code is not easy, and it's only fair that you should be able to rely on the advice given to you by the CRA. Increased accountability through the Agent ID number is a step towards improving the CRA's customer service to job creators and taxpayers."

"The CRA is listening to Canadian businesses, and moving forward on the changes they have told us are important to them," said MP Goguen. "Many of the measures highlighted in our Red Tape Reduction Action Plan have already been implemented, including launching an online secure enquiries service where businesses can ask their confidential tax-related questions, and creating a one-stop online business landing page where businesses can easily access tax information and CRA online services."

The CRA's business enquiries telephone line handles over 3 million calls every year. As part of the red tape reduction measures, the CRA is also improving and modernizing the training provided to telephone agents, and continues to make other ongoing enhancement to its service quality and online services.

In addition to the introduction of the Agent ID number, two additional reforms were unveiled today as part of the Harper Government's Red Tape Reduction Action Plan:

- The Honourable Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board, announced proposed changes to the Food and Drug Regulations that will allow provincially regulated pharmacy technicians to transfer prescriptions to another pharmacy. This reform will benefit more than 15,000 pharmacists across Canada and is expected to save pharmacies an estimated $8.7 million a year in administrative costs.