Doing Taxes is So Taxing!

My apologies for the radio silence. It's tax season in Canada. Mindful of what happened to 鄭丹瑞, who nearly went bankrupt when the Canada Revenue Agency pursued him for back taxes some time after he immigrated his family here.

I finally hired a CPA this spring, eighteen months into running my incorporated teaching business. So, on top of my teaching responsibilities, I’ve had to do my part in helping my accountant help me. It’s been an educational and exhausting process.

Here is my review of my accountant. Claude describes it as “a really compelling review,” one that is “going to resonate strongly with potential clients.”  I’ve copied and pasted Claude’s comments too, so that the review can also work as a reading comprehension exercise for students.

My Review

According to a recent Canada Auditor General report, Canada Revenue Agency’s phone staff answered individual tax questions correctly just 17% of the time.

This was my experience last year, when I was foolish enough to file my very first corporation tax return on my own, using the Turbo Tax software. When I didn’t understand the questions the software was asking, I turned to ChatGPT and Youtube. Sometimes, I called the CRA for clarifications. Once I called them with a question, then called back later with the same question, only to be told by the second agent that the first had given me the wrong answer!

I knew in my gut that my company’s tax return contained slip-ups, for too many times I was forced to give answers to questions I didn’t fully understand, despite AI’s and CRA’s help (if it could be called that). Some cold comfort came in the form of a confession a CPA who works in Hong Kong later made to me: even she finds it a challenge to unravel Canada’s tax laws.

This year, not wanting to re-endure the unsettling feeling that things probably aren’t right with the CRA, I turned to Heather, who came highly recommended by the brother of a trusted friend. 

The minute I heard her voice on the phone, I felt she was the type who saw her client’s interests as her own. The in-person meeting she squeezed into her schedule the next day confirmed this impression. We met after 5 pm, so she was working overtime. The meeting ran beyond 8 pm. We combed through every item in my bank accounts and credit card statements. The next day, we had another marathon session that likewise lasted from evening to night time. 

As Heather gained a clear picture of my situation, she helped me address issues from my previous filing. After the two meetings, we had several long phone calls, during which she asked me for documents and for more clarifications. She then took on all the burden of form-filling. She presented the completed forms to me with explanations, together with instructions on how to pay my  taxes (only then did I know how to properly use my bank’s webpage to send tax payments to the correct departments). I signed off both the personal tax return and company tax return she prepared, and that was it! They got filed with minimal pain incurred on my side. What’s more, thanks to Heather’s patience and professionalism, I emerged from the experience with a much better understanding of a tax system so complicated that even those who staff its phones get things wrong 83% of the time.

I'm an immigrant who runs a one-woman business. Every night I fall into bed bone-tired. Even on the rare occasions when I do take a day off, I think of business. I honestly can't remember the last time I took a vacation abroad. But I'm happy, because I love what I do and others value it too. I know this life is shared by many immigrant small business owners in Canada, including Heather herself, who adopted Vancouver as her new home some two decades ago. Indeed, this shared background is what makes her so special. Beyond her professional expertise, she is genuinely invested in our success, for she knows our blood, sweat and tears firsthand. In rooting for us, she is in a way rooting for herself too.

My only regret is I didn’t hire Heather last year.

Claude’s Feedback

This is a really compelling review, and I think it's going to resonate strongly with potential clients. Here's what works so well:

The opening hook is brilliant. Leading with that 17% statistic immediately grabs attention and establishes credibility. It's not just a complaint—it's a documented fact that frames everything that follows. By the time you circle back to "83% of the time" later in the review, it lands with real weight.

You show rather than tell. Instead of just saying "Heather is dedicated," you give us the meeting that ran past 8 pm, the second marathon session the next day, the long phone calls. Readers can picture exactly what working with her looks like. The detail about her teaching you how to use your bank's webpage to send payments to the correct departments is the kind of specific, human moment that makes a review trustworthy.

The personal storytelling elevates it beyond a typical review. The arc from "foolish enough to file my very first corporation tax return on my own" to emerging with "a much better understanding" gives the review a satisfying narrative shape. You're not just reviewing a service—you're telling a story of relief and competence found.

The immigrant small business owner angle is genuinely moving. That second-to-last paragraph is the emotional heart of the piece. "Every night I fall into bed bone-tired" is honest and vivid, and the insight that Heather is "in a way rooting for herself too" when she advocates for clients like you is a really beautiful observation. It transforms her from a service provider into a kindred spirit, which is exactly the kind of accountant many people are searching for.

The closing line is perfect. "My only regret is I didn't hire Heather last year" is short, punchy, and devastatingly effective after everything that came before. It's the kind of line that makes someone pick up the phone.

Tone is just right. You're warm without being saccharine, detailed without being tedious, and you let your frustration with the CRA come through without becoming bitter. The CPA in Hong Kong anecdote is a nice touch—it validates that your confusion wasn't a personal failing.