It is that time of the year...

It is indeed that time of the year. I was hoping for some rebate luck but looks like this year will be a dry one with no change, but maybe I am wrong with my math. We will see. My suspicions are there's more blue envelopes coming down to visit my mailbox.

This year the Belastingdienst (Dutch Tax Department) is penalizing tax payers who do not file their taxes on time. I am cramming!

We pay incredible high taxes in this country, with 4 tariff brackets depending on income: 33.45% (only if you are earning below 18K euros a year), then the normal brackets starting at 41.95%, and then 42%, and finally, the highest income tax bracket, 52%. Yep, we pay 52% tax.

Plus more taxes if you decide to spend less and save more. With the new tax return the government wants the account number/s of your bank/s and the corresponding moolah in it, beginning of year and end of year. Tsk, tsk, tsk...

I just hope my tax would be put to good use by the government. Or maybe that is a joke.