I have had two big adventures in government policy in the past couple months. Now that I know you're glued to the screen, let's explore them.
My USA taxes
Okay, no one likes paying taxes. I'm not going to go off on a rant about the IRS. In fact, I think they're a perfectly fine organization. There, I said it. We all need to pay our taxes. And up until now, it has been quite an easy thing to do. I'm single, I have no dependents, I own no real estate, and I have no major stock investments. I am as easy as it gets tax wise. Just jump on TurboTax, punch in numbers, click "no" a bunch of times, and I'm done. I get no big tax breaks, but I have an easy return. And then I moved to England.
TurboTax still works. This is a good thing. But when I moved overseas, I made the government paranoid that I was a super rich person trying to hide my billions in tax shelters. So, I have to report my income that I made in the UK working for a UK school, on which I already pay UK taxes. Well, the USA says I have to pay USA taxes on this, unless I have been living in the UK for a year. Keep in mind, the tax year only lasts a year. So, obviously I have not lived here for a full year. But, I can apply for an exemption once I have. I might not get it, in which case I will owe all those unpaid taxes on the income I am already taxed on over here, which will suck. Either way, I have to wait until June to take that step. I got an extension, so all is good there. It seems very complicated, so I decided to call a few tax accountants that work with USA tax returns. They all seem to offer their personal tax return service for around 700 pounds, to start. That's a personal return, not a business return. So, that's not going to happen. I'll just have to wait until June to see if I can convince the USA government that I am not hiding untold billions from them.
My UK Visa
I got my visa last year because King's Ely sponsored me. Now I am changing employers, and I need to change sponsors. So I go to the UK governments website, look up the rules for my "Tier 2" visa, and go to the section that talks about changing employers. It says, no problem, just fill out a "Change of Employer" form. Sounds easy. "You can do it online." Awesome, I like online. "The online system is down due to maintenance. Please fill out the paper form." Crap. I'll just wait a couple weeks. Still down. I call and ask. Apparently the online system hasn't worked in a year. Well then, I guess it's paper for me. So I download the form. It's a 64 page document that is a full application for a new visa. Let me be clear, there is no "Change of Employer" written anywhere on this form. So, I call the help line. They tell me that there is no such form, and that I have to apply for a brand new visa. This includes paying the 428 pound fee, plus pay 20 pounds to get my fingerprints taken again, even though they already have them. I am not quite happy about this. I ask why the website clearly refers to a form that does not exist. This blows my help desk operator's mind. So, I hang up, yell something, throw a piece of paper at my door, pick said paper and put it in the trash, and start filling out the form. I come to the part saying I have to give them my passport and wait two months for processing. I already have international trips booked, so I am not in favor of this. So, I look at the website for another option, and they say I can do this thing in person instead of mailing away. It just costs 400 pounds more. Yep, double the fee. So, I can schlep my ass all the way to them, but I have to pay double the fee for the privilege. And this can obviously be done in a day, so now it's all looking like a scam. Then I go to the website to book an appointment for this, and my type of visa is the one type not listed on the drop down menu. This is just not going to be a fun process.
It seems that no matter which country I live in, dealing with governments is frustrating and expensive. I'm not saying Guy Fawkes should have done what he did . . . but I understand.
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