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Isn't this theft?

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Volgadon
Compulsive Reader
Posts: 654
Joined: September 2008
Location: Israel
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Post by Volgadon » Tue March 24th, 2009, 4:26 pm

[quote=""MLE""]Hmm -- I'm up to my ears in research on renaissance Europe, where the monarchs, the church and the nobles were always out of money, and wrung it out of anybody they could, any way they could.

I also got email today from my friends in China, explaining the normal system of graft to get anything done in the bureaucracy of that communist country.

Plus we support an orphanage in the Ukraine. Don't get me started on what their government processes look like.

Granted, it isn't perfect. But when and where and who has ever had it better?[/quote]

You are sooooooo right about Ukraine. They are unbelievable, don't even get me started.

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Christina
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Location: Yorkshire, England
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Post by Christina » Mon March 30th, 2009, 10:04 pm

I guess governments all over the world are equally caught up in red tape. Here, today, however, at least we know where our taxes are going - which is hugely reassuring. Am so glad that some people are enjoying their wide-screen TVs and porn videos at our expense!

Is there a collective noun for Cabinet Ministers? "An expense" of ministers? "An irrelevance" of ministers? "An extortion" of ministers? "An excuse" of ministers?...Perhaps :-)

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Telynor
Bibliophile
Posts: 1465
Joined: August 2008
Location: On the Banks of the Hudson

Post by Telynor » Tue March 31st, 2009, 7:57 am

As someone who does freelance work (and gets paid for it), I keep track of every sale, every reciept and every expense, with the papertrail to prove it. Much to my chagrin, my main source of income is Social Security, and to keep it, they regularly audit my accounts. So does the IRS, blast them.

In return, I retailiate by keeping immaculate as possible records. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will deter a government worker so much as the prospect of real work. When I go in to the IRS -- and I've been audited -- I take along the handcart with the stack of boxes and files. I park it by my chair and chirp happily, "Here you go -- here's all of my financial records." And suddenly, they find out that they really don't need to look over my files.

Now if they could just get that SOB Madoff's money...

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Misfit
Bibliomaniac
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Joined: August 2008
Location: Seattle, WA

Post by Misfit » Tue March 31st, 2009, 2:08 pm

Its interesting how they really go after the one's who don't keep good records isn't it? The company was audited by the Department of Revenue last year and the areas where records were immaculate and/or well managed they didn't even bother with, but when they found a weakness (not paying use tax on internet purchases) they went for blood.

I deal with contractors and I find that once the tax man finds you don't keep good records they keep visiting them again and again and again, with one tax lien/tax warrant after another.
At home with a good book and the cat...
...is the only place I want to be

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