Text 9150, 34 rader
Skriven 2010-07-11 10:11:46 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
   Kommentar till text 9085 av Bob Ackley (1:300/3)
Ärende: LEO the lion
====================
Bob Ackley wrote to Robert Bashe on Friday July 09 2010 at 05:37:

BA> I'm currently fighting with the state of Iowa.  The state's revenue
BA> department has decided that I owe them $4200 in income tax, penalties
BA> and interest for the tax year 2003...

Nonwithstanding the fact that you were not a state resident at the time.

This is the kind of thing you get into when you have more than one taxing
authority, and in the States, it really must be a nightmare: federal tax, state
tax, county tax, municipal tax - and all on the same income, but with different
rules. Then there's the fact that there's no official residence registration,
as in Germany. How do you _prove_ you were not living somewhere at a specific
time? Obviously that's not easy.

I bitch enough about Germany, but in this case we have things easier: there is
only _one_ income tax. It's federal, and is collected by the states. No state
or local income taxes, and logically only one income tax return (although that
_one_ is so complex and lengthy it's probably no simpler than making out the
several ones you have to in the States, but at least things are consolidated).

BA> They had absolutly no trouble getting my 2003 tax information from the
BA> federal IRS, something they had no right to do.

They didn't? I would have thought taxing authorities always communicate with
one another, as government bodies. The situation would be different if a
private person or company wanted to get your tax information - that would be
illegal everywhere (here too), but government authorities are generally in the
clear on that point.

Cheers, Bob

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