The Tax Man! Argh!

Normally I am not one to use my blog just to rant and rave about my life. Yet today, I need to vent a little. The past week has been one giant speed bump and it is all because of the tax man. First some history to set-up what happened this week.

Up front, I owe the government some money. Back in January 2000, I cashed in what we in Canada call an RRSP. It is savings plan where you can put money in for your retirement and get tax credits. When you cash it out, you get hit with taxes.

This was the time when my spiral started. I was in a depression, had to pay for my medication and bills. As some of my previous posts mentioned, this lead to me moving in with a psycho and eventually ending up on the streets. So I wasn't too focused on doing my taxes for 1999, let alone 2000.

Once I got my life back on track, I did my taxes and found out I owed the federal government over $8000. What? When I met with the tax man (really a woman), I tried to contest it but to no avail. So money started coming out of my bank account.

Last year April, I lost my job at a place called LeeTwo. Then I moved to my current company, Sitel after a month. At first, I did not have direct deposit. I got a check and cashed it. Leaving my account dormant. Which within a few months was closed.

Now the twit I can be, forgot about the tax man. Things were a mess at my old place on Queen Mary, much of my own doing. But in July, things became unbearable because of other reasons and I moved out to my current place, here. And never organized my bank account. Or change of address with the government.

Bluntly, I slipped into a old, bad habit of ignoring a problem. I should have addressed it but I didn't. I was focused on sorting out my life here, in the new place. Making sure I paid my bills on time and try to stay within a proper budget. Which hasn't been easy for me.

Well, last week, I got a rude surprise. I opened my paycheck and found close to $200 missing. I thought there had been a mistake. The hours added up yet I didn't get the $500 odd dollars I should. So I headed to HR to find out what was happening.

The HR person looked at my stub and commented: "oh, you are being garnished." What? I was never notified. The company never told me. What the fuck is going on? The HR person eventually found the paper work they had received and it was marked May 5. I flipped.

Alright, I screwed up when it came to the address. Most likely a letter arrived at the old place, advising me of the garnishment and I did not get it. Yet I never received any phone calls from them about the closed bank account and organizing a new payment plan. My phone number is unchanged. And my new address is in the phone book.

But what had me livid was what the company did. Years ago, I screwed up my taxes and I was garished. When the company got the letter, they called me in to advise me of what was happening. It have me a couple of weeks to organize either a new payment plan or take the garnishment as is. Yet Sitel did not do that.

I don't know if they have to legally, but it is a courtesy most companies would extend to their employees. They should have notified me, thus allowing me to do something. If I had known back on the 5th, I would have called the government right away to organize a better payment plan. And be prepared for the May 26th pay period, when rent is due and our electricity bill. Let alone getting a bus pass.

But they didn't. So I was stuck with very little money in my pocket. I had to explain things to my landlord. Hold back on buying some things I needed. Some plans for dinner were thrown out the window. And now I have $4.00 to my name until next Friday.

Luckily, I have cigarettes to last me until then, so I don't have to deal with this stress and the shit that comes from quiting cigarettes. I have bus tickets so I can get to work. But I will have to forgo things like beer and coffee for the next week. And some of the planned meals, like the meatloaf and pork dishes I had planned. Time for Kraft Dinner and other inexpensive goodies.

The funny thing is that a few years ago, this would have thrown me for a loop. I would have stressed myself out to the point of insomnia and migraines. Possibly pushing me into a mild depression. Or a severe one. But I'm not letting that happen.

I'm annoyed and pissed off at the situation. I screwed up and so did the company I work for. But what is happening is just an inconvenience. Yeah I prefer not to have KD for supper. I would like to have my coffee in the morning. And my beer when I get home. But things could be worse. I could be back on the street. I could be sick. I could be alone here. I could be living in places like Indonesia.

I suppose the 9 months on the street taught me more than I expected. Week before last, I was downtown. I walked down Ste. Catherine and recognized some of the people I bunked with in the shelter. They looked older and were still pan-handling. I have moved on the past couple of years.

I have a job. I have a great apartment. I have my friends and buddies. I have my health. And for now, I have my cigarettes. But even after I organize a restructuring of my garnishment, I will still be paying out $100 per pay check. So it is time to look into quiting. I know for some people, this will be a major silver lining that will come out from this crap.

Anyway, that is my rant for the day. I suppose the important thing is to stay positive. It is easy to get cliched about this. Things aren't all bad. This is just a hiccup and life moves on. There is a silver lining. It will make me stronger. Why am I suddenly getting the urge to sing Climb Every Mountain? Argh! It is time to stop!