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monday blogging
Tuesday, June 13th, 2017 20:31I belatedly realized it's not Monday but who am I to correct my own mistakes?
Today got me visiting my second least favourite tax office (10th floor with pre-democracy elevator, slow service, only good if you have a good book to read -- which I did -- for the long tram ride) so I could present them with a court-issued certificate. Why doesn't the court post those itself when it's supposed to? To save on postage, possibly, or because their clerks don't want to deal with tax officers, it's anyone's guess really. It's just one of those very administratively amusing things, unless you actually want to get work done.
Conversing with a tax inspector has this really weird feeling to it: at first it's like you're trying to get a machine to do something, but if it goes on for a while, and especially if you're susceptible to dissociation -- which I am -- it becomes more of two machines trying to negotiate, an illusion doubtlessly encouraged by the unfortunate fact that I don't understand how machines, actually, communicate. Anyway if it's a simple thing you want it's about as engaging as installing an app, but if you deviate the tiniest bit from the express settings, you end up asking the same thing twelve different ways trying to make the clerk understand what you are saying. It feels rewarding if you succeed, but eerie nonetheless.
But, today in particular, I didn't succeed. I'm rather miserable about that. How, after all, to prove that the twice-former owner of an apartment unit dues no tax for it (as all taxes must be paid before the transfer of property may legally take place) if neither owner ever declared the transfer to the tax authority, and you -- a fourth party -- are not provided any form to submit to rectify that error? Worse yet, the tax officer, as a person, will acknowledge that the situation is unintended but only as far as to cement her unwillingness to dignify the court's request. There are simply no legal tools provided to you in that situation so the only option is to interpret existing ones.
Or, as taxes put it, "Why don't you simply pay their dues? If it's already sold and you make them pay, we will have to return their money and take yours instead so it comes to the same thing really."
Today got me visiting my second least favourite tax office (10th floor with pre-democracy elevator, slow service, only good if you have a good book to read -- which I did -- for the long tram ride) so I could present them with a court-issued certificate. Why doesn't the court post those itself when it's supposed to? To save on postage, possibly, or because their clerks don't want to deal with tax officers, it's anyone's guess really. It's just one of those very administratively amusing things, unless you actually want to get work done.
Conversing with a tax inspector has this really weird feeling to it: at first it's like you're trying to get a machine to do something, but if it goes on for a while, and especially if you're susceptible to dissociation -- which I am -- it becomes more of two machines trying to negotiate, an illusion doubtlessly encouraged by the unfortunate fact that I don't understand how machines, actually, communicate. Anyway if it's a simple thing you want it's about as engaging as installing an app, but if you deviate the tiniest bit from the express settings, you end up asking the same thing twelve different ways trying to make the clerk understand what you are saying. It feels rewarding if you succeed, but eerie nonetheless.
But, today in particular, I didn't succeed. I'm rather miserable about that. How, after all, to prove that the twice-former owner of an apartment unit dues no tax for it (as all taxes must be paid before the transfer of property may legally take place) if neither owner ever declared the transfer to the tax authority, and you -- a fourth party -- are not provided any form to submit to rectify that error? Worse yet, the tax officer, as a person, will acknowledge that the situation is unintended but only as far as to cement her unwillingness to dignify the court's request. There are simply no legal tools provided to you in that situation so the only option is to interpret existing ones.
Or, as taxes put it, "Why don't you simply pay their dues? If it's already sold and you make them pay, we will have to return their money and take yours instead so it comes to the same thing really."
