Tax authorities

Something happened in the tax office and they didn't receive our VAt payment for June. They of course send a demand letter with the amount to pay plus 8,50€ as delay surcharge.
The strange thing was that before the taxes were automatically withdrawn from our bank account. Something must have happened in the tax office and for whatever reason they couldn't withdraw any money and therefore they hadn't received the tax payment in time. We knew nothing of this until the demand letter arrived.
Virpi phoned the tax office and they agreed to admit it was their mistake and said that we only need to pay the taxes and no delay surcharges. This Virpi did and we thought the matter was over and done with.

Not so. A week later a letter arrived. It said that "because you have authorized automatic withdrawals from your account we have withdrawn 17€ as delay surcharges."

How wickedly clever is that!? We will charge your account automatically for late payments, because we can! How can we be late with payment if there's a direct debit agreement in place?

Now the matter should be over and done with and we will get the double delay fee back. I guess we should insist on some 'irritant surcharge' or 'pick-pocket fee' also for even the tax authorities should keep their hands away from the money that doesn't belong to them in the first place!

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I almost can't believe that I'm, sitting at our balcony writing this. The sun is shining, and although it is a bit windy the temperature is exactly right.

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Suomennos: Verottajan virheen vuoksi ne eivät olleet saaneet kesäkuun arvonlisäverojamme. Lähettivät karhukirjeen, jossa oli myös myöhästymissakko 8,50€. Puhelinsoitto auttoi selvittämään, että suoraveloitus oli lakannut toimimasta jostain tuntemattomasta syystä. Nyt pitäisi vain maksaa verot ja unohtaa myöhästymissakko. Kaikki oli kunnossa.

Kunnes toinen kirje ilmoitti, että koska meillä nyt on suoraveloitus, olivat veroviranomaiset veloittaneet tililtämme 17€.

Nerokasta! Kuinka voimme olla maksuinemme myöhässä, jos meillä on suoraveloitus?

Nyt asian pitäisi olla kunnossa ja verotoimisto lupasi palauttaa virheellisesti ottamansa rahat. Saa nähdä.