More than three quarters of Canadians filed their taxes over the Internet this year.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) says that 21 million Canadians, or 80% of tax filers, submitted their income tax return electronically this year, an increase of 6% over last year. Of the 80% of electronic submissions, 54% were filed on behalf of the taxpayer by a third party while the remaining 26% were filed directly by the individual him or herself.  Volunteers with the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program helped to complete nearly 600,000 tax returns.

The CRA also notes that 54% of taxpayers opted to receive their refund by direct deposit. "By filing online and using direct deposit, taxpayers were able to receive their refund in as little as eight days. I am pleased to announce the average refund for 2013 is $1,655, an increase from $1,646 in 2012," commented Minister of National Revenue Kerry-Lynne Findlay.