Text 7180, 41 rader
Skriven 2010-04-18 14:01:28 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
   Kommentar till text 7175 av Ward Dossche (2:292/854)
Ärende: The annual horror trip...
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Ward Dossche wrote to Björn Felten on Sunday April 18 2010 at 10:37:

BF>> In Sweden it's done in two or three minutes for the majority of the
BF>> tax payers. It's done on the internet, via phone or via SMS.

WD> We can also file via the internet ... but SMS? That's new to me ...

And unlikely, unless all you have to do is send a name and perhapy a tax
number. Remember the maximum number of characters an SMS has?

WD> What I don't get is, why after an electronic filing does it take about
WD> a year here to find-out about the result?

If it does, this must be a Belgian speciality. You get the result in Germany -
in general - in around 4-6 weeks, depending on the complexity of the return and
the workload of the tax office. This year, the returns will be processed slower
than usual, since the government has starting snooping around pensioners,
trying to find people who didn't file tax returns in previous years.

WD> My guess, to keep the interest from people getting a refund for about
WD> a year.

Either that, sheer incompetence, or an unbelieveable workload. But probably a
combination of the three.

WD> Immediately after the filing the system ought to be able to say
WD> "Please pay so much extra" or "Your refund will be xxxxxxx. Check your
WD> bank-account, it's already there".

No, unless you have the simplest possible situation (salried worker, rental
apartment, no investments, no savings, unmarried or wife doesn't work, none or
only small children) a return still has to be checked for accuracy - and the
math also has to be checked (although _that_ could be done automatically).

Of course, it helps to have a simple system - only a few tax levels, few
possibilities of deductions.

Cheers, Bob

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