Day 22 - Black Day
Jan. 22nd, 2010 10:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wolfsbrideSigh. When 2009 ended I was happy to see it go because it wasn't a very good year for me personally what with losing several people close to me. When 2010 started I was hopeful that it would be a better year all around. Apparently not. As you have seen from prior posts my job situation has come to a head in a degrading manner. Now it seems I am to be attacked on the financial front as well.
A little background. Technically, I am self employed and as such, I must collect and remit GST (government sales tax). However, since I actually work FOR my boss and NOT myself, I don't buy stuff much that would be considered write-offs. This leaves me owing tax and GST at the end of my year. I am able to offset the tax owing by using my medical receipts to increase my non refundable tax credits thus reducing my tax owing to zero. However, this can not be done with GST. In 2008, I owed a bit more GST than I could comfortably pay at one time so I was making instalments against the outstanding balance. It seems I was not paying the government fast enough for their liking.
They garnished my one account and put a freeze on my other. The infuriating thing about this is that legally they have to notify you that they're doing so. Which they did. BY MAIL. WHICH DID NOT COME UNTIL SEVERAL DAYS AFTER THEY HAD DONE THE DEED. Fine. Whatever.
Today, I called in order to officially set up a payment schedule since I STILL can't afford to pay it out in one foul swoop. Alas, it was not to be. In their great wisdom, the government suggests that you go into debt in order to pay them. Here I am, willing to pay them cash as I receive it, but what they wish for me to do is to increase the limit on my credit card, take out a cash advance and pay the garnishee that way. A credit card which I'm currently trying to PAY OFF. Fine. Whatever.
I go to my bank, knowing FULL WELL they will not do it because, hey I'm carrying a balance that I've been chipping away after for awhile. A hilarious thing happens. They can't increase my limit because SURPRISE, there's a government lien on my account! I just smile and nod. Yes, I'm aware there is. It was the government that sent me here. The person dealing with this looks perturbed. I don't blame her. Anyway, after about an hour in the bank, sure enough, they won't increase my limit because I've always carried a balance on my card. Fine. Whatever.
I come home. By now the lady that I originally talked to is not there and so I get Ms Ima Bitch. She snidely informs me that I shouldn't have spent the money I collected in GST as it's not my money and yada yada. I just agree. Finally, she shuts up long enough for me to tell her about her colleague's great suggestion and how it did not work and did they want me to fax the letter the bank gave me as proof I did actually go there and try. Yes. Then I FINALLY get to make my suggestion of the payment schedule and the maximum that I can afford to pay each month for the next four months. Her response: Well I'll put a note on your file for file worker but there's no guarantee we'll accept any schedules! FINE! WHATEVER!
So, I am at a standstill until Monday morning. At which time I'll phone my file worker and make my suggestion. At this point and time, I'm fully expecting that I will have to clean out my account and then give them my end of the month pay cheque as well. Then it will be paid off in full. If they want it faster than that, they'll have to drag me off to jail, which is sounding rather good at the moment, since I wouldn't have to worry about my job or the bills. I will, of course, have to phone all my other bill people to tell them I will not be making any of my January payments. Some of them are already late now, so I'm sure they'll be ever so pleased to hear that. I possibly won't be eating much but evidently that's not the government's concern.
Happy 2010!
A little background. Technically, I am self employed and as such, I must collect and remit GST (government sales tax). However, since I actually work FOR my boss and NOT myself, I don't buy stuff much that would be considered write-offs. This leaves me owing tax and GST at the end of my year. I am able to offset the tax owing by using my medical receipts to increase my non refundable tax credits thus reducing my tax owing to zero. However, this can not be done with GST. In 2008, I owed a bit more GST than I could comfortably pay at one time so I was making instalments against the outstanding balance. It seems I was not paying the government fast enough for their liking.
They garnished my one account and put a freeze on my other. The infuriating thing about this is that legally they have to notify you that they're doing so. Which they did. BY MAIL. WHICH DID NOT COME UNTIL SEVERAL DAYS AFTER THEY HAD DONE THE DEED. Fine. Whatever.
Today, I called in order to officially set up a payment schedule since I STILL can't afford to pay it out in one foul swoop. Alas, it was not to be. In their great wisdom, the government suggests that you go into debt in order to pay them. Here I am, willing to pay them cash as I receive it, but what they wish for me to do is to increase the limit on my credit card, take out a cash advance and pay the garnishee that way. A credit card which I'm currently trying to PAY OFF. Fine. Whatever.
I go to my bank, knowing FULL WELL they will not do it because, hey I'm carrying a balance that I've been chipping away after for awhile. A hilarious thing happens. They can't increase my limit because SURPRISE, there's a government lien on my account! I just smile and nod. Yes, I'm aware there is. It was the government that sent me here. The person dealing with this looks perturbed. I don't blame her. Anyway, after about an hour in the bank, sure enough, they won't increase my limit because I've always carried a balance on my card. Fine. Whatever.
I come home. By now the lady that I originally talked to is not there and so I get Ms Ima Bitch. She snidely informs me that I shouldn't have spent the money I collected in GST as it's not my money and yada yada. I just agree. Finally, she shuts up long enough for me to tell her about her colleague's great suggestion and how it did not work and did they want me to fax the letter the bank gave me as proof I did actually go there and try. Yes. Then I FINALLY get to make my suggestion of the payment schedule and the maximum that I can afford to pay each month for the next four months. Her response: Well I'll put a note on your file for file worker but there's no guarantee we'll accept any schedules! FINE! WHATEVER!
So, I am at a standstill until Monday morning. At which time I'll phone my file worker and make my suggestion. At this point and time, I'm fully expecting that I will have to clean out my account and then give them my end of the month pay cheque as well. Then it will be paid off in full. If they want it faster than that, they'll have to drag me off to jail, which is sounding rather good at the moment, since I wouldn't have to worry about my job or the bills. I will, of course, have to phone all my other bill people to tell them I will not be making any of my January payments. Some of them are already late now, so I'm sure they'll be ever so pleased to hear that. I possibly won't be eating much but evidently that's not the government's concern.
Happy 2010!
