Wednesday, September 09, 2009

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.......

7 comments:

Barb said...

Oh....sorry about your tax problems.....

love the fabric.

*karendianne. said...

Oh the hilarity of your post. Yes, while Harper is flitting about and you're home sneezing through the dust! They are actually worried to bother with you for a few measly cents? Good Gawd they can't squeeze blood out of a turnip. Not that I'm calling you a Turnip mind you but...

...a public stoning has potential!

LizzieJane said...

Oh poor Hetty! How horrible for you that you have to go through that. I sure hope it all turns out just fine so you can get back to quilting with that wonderful new fabric.
x

Vicki said...

What a pain in the you know what!!!!! I thought that you only had to keep these kinds of documents for 7 years. So I did a google search and the Canada Revenue Agency states 6 years (see http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/ncm-tx/kpng/menu-eng.html ). So it's interesting that they are asking you to go back 10 years. I would ask them why they are asking you to go back so far when their web site states 6 years.

At least you got some nice kitty fabric in the mail.

the dutch purple rabbit said...

yes i now how you feel. i needed to show my medical files a couple of weeks a go. also searching every where.

the fabrics are brrrrr it makes me spin so many cats and lovely colours.

nynke

dutchcomfort said...

OMG... they have gone crazy Hetty!

How on earth can they ask you to show the tax bills from all those years. Aren’t they digitalized? They have to proof you supposedly did something wrong, not the other way around!

10 years... we only have to keep private stuff for 5 years and business stuff for 10.

Take care!

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

Definitely not fun to be digging for paper, especially for taxes! I'm sure it will all work out fine, but in the meantime, I'm sure it is a pain.