� Dumb Dumb. � 2006-02-02 � 8:27 p.m. �
This what I've learned today: The Albertan and Qu�bec governments are dumb. I picture them all with dunse caps and "I'm a bastard" t-shirts on... sitting there drinking from Ralph's whiskey bottle... passing it over the miles between for each swig.
I've lived in Alberta since November of 2000. I pay taxes here. I work here. I've had two surgeries here and a doctor's appointment at least every month... It's not a big secret that I've made this my "home" so to speak... and I didn't keep it from them. IN FACT... I made a point of sending them a change of address notice after one of my GST cheques way back when... and then another... and another... yes three... but STILL they send all tax correspondence to Montreal.
And now with the $400 Ralph money coming in, I'm getting fucked over because my address has never been changed and they think that though I live, work, breath and eat in this province... I'm still a Qu�bec resident, residing and paying taxes there.
So I called 1-866-209-6803 today... and lucky me I got the bitchiest employee in the building... I always begin these things polite, but sadly for her, I wasn't having a great self-control day... nor a great day altogether and my politeness only lasted for two words with a snotty tone.
Don't ever think that just because we, as law abiding Canadians, file our taxes promptly and properly, that anyone in taxation ever looks at our forms or even gives a fuck that we've done our duty. I learned today, they don't.
"Don't you even look at our forms"... and honestly she said "No, no we don't."
Why would they? But help me, should I choose not to pay my taxes... what then? I bet they'd find me and my address no matter where I lived, wouldn't they?
"Yes, we'd find you. You have to pay your taxes!" says the snotty bitch...
So she bitches me out for (and I admit I was) being unprepared before phoning and essentially wasting her time in the process. So I explain.
"I'm at work and I don't have my exact salaries and RRSP contributions, or my returns of my lifetime handy. I apologize, but nowhere did I read I'd need every tax return I've ever filed to just to change my address."
"Well... what was your salary last year?"
"Yeah, one more time... I-am-at-work-and-I-do-not-know-what-my-exact-salary-of-2004-is. Do you need that one more time, or was that good?" I have a bad habit of that... Purposely slowing my speech to robotics to make sure I'm pronouncing everything just so.
So she goes off about how she has no record that I have tried to change my address three times and she doesn't know where my change of address slips have gone - pretty much pointing the finger and trying not to use the word "liar".
"They're probably sitting on someone's desk in Shawinigan. Try there. I sent them to there about 4 years ago... since you're all so great at getting ontop of things, my money says they're still where the mail man left them."
So she proceeds to tell me how provincial governments don't communicate and how I should have changed my address in all provinces to ensure it got done... And that Canadians shouldn't be so lazy about getting such things done... until, of course money is involved. I stop her.
"I don't care if you guys don't talk. That shouldn't be my problem. It is about money, and it's NOT going to cost me $400 just because you guys can't or won't talk to eachother or get done what you should have done five years ago. I'm not paying for this, when I know damn well I did what I should have done to get the address changed. This is Canada - you work for me."
"You should have phoned."
"I'm phoning, now change my address."
I hope she puts her bastard t-shirt in the wash tonight... she'll need it for the morning.
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