Searching and Searching

Tax officials of our Canadian government, in their infinite wisdom, have decided that I am holding out on them. They claim that I have contributed more than I was allowed to my RRSP. (Registered Retirement Savings Plan). The amount we are allowed to contribute is deducted from our yearly taxable income. I always tried to contribute a few dollars. I have no idea how much they think I owe them. It could be hundreds or thousands of dollars or maybe just a few cents.

I don't get it! I never had enough money to put in too much. They want me to show them all of my tax bills for the past 10 years. Not just the tax stuff they returned to me after I had sent it in, but all the income and taxable deductions as well and of course, all of my RRSP stubs. Ten years is a long time to keep old tax records. I thought only businesses had to do that.

So now, while Harper is having an expensive lunch with dignitaries, flying around the world in a private jet and staying in fancy hotels, all at the expense of tax payers, I have to search through all my old files and papers and try to find what I have to send them. Aaaaachoo! All that dust! I am sneezing a lot as I go through all of those old boxes and files. I know these papers are here somewhere, because I never throw anything out. I came across a few very, very old letters, from girlfriends who had moved away many years ago. It was kind of an nostalgic moment - almost enough to make this search worth it.

But I have to stay focused. Searching and more searching. I wonder what they will do to me if I don't find those documents. Will I be stoned in the public square? Hung and quartered? Maybe sent off to fight the war in Afghanistan? Nah, probably none of those. They'll probably just charge me more tax! But it's the principal of the thing. I want to be able to say I was right. So I continue to break my nails and cough and sneeze!

But sometimes searching is a good thing. Look what I found in my mailbox yesterday! The Calico Cat had some kittens to give away! And I was lucky enough to have her send me some! Lots of really cute cat fabrics and some other fun 'I spy' fabrics. Thanks Amy! These are great! I've already started to cut some strips to add to a cat journal cover I was working on. But more of that tomorrow. Now I have to get back to my files.......