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Just part of living here… Indian tax rectification requests
It has been awhile since I shared an update on my latest greatest efforts to get something fixed with the Indian Income Tax Department…
Over a year ago, I shared my hope that the tax tide was turning… at the time I was doing a manic happy dance as there seemed to be a tacit acknowledgement that the ‘outstanding amount’ was hokum, bunk, BS and more!
And another notice… more money! NOT!!!
Of course, I knew that just because I was finally paid a refund vs having it adjusted against the fictitious ‘outstanding amount’, that didn’t mean the issue was actually resolved. No siree! That isn’t how we roll in this part of the world.
So I duly filed yet another rectification request… feeling rather like my CA and I are becoming experts at this… was it number 4 or was it 5????
And nothing… a full year of nothing… no “ITR Rectification” notice, meaning a formal response to my request.. just nothing…
At one point I even attempted to do a follow-up rectification request online – not allowed as there was already an open rectification request for the year in question.
The challenge with being in limbo is you can’t assume it is actually fixed… because it is not. Yet without a formal response, one simply has to wait… wait… wait for it… wait…
Then came the phone call.
That is correct… a phone call… asking me to again pay for tax that was already paid in 2008/09.
One year and three months after the last rectification request was filed.
For which no formal response has been received…
I think he is used to people getting upset with a call from the IT Department not a gushing:
“OH! I’m so happy you called! Thank you!
Now…
Help me out here, what can we do to get this internal system glitch fixed?
At least to get it updated for the year in question?”
You could tell he knew it was actually paid but no one is able to acknowledge that one system in the IT Department doesn’t “talk” to the other system and hence tax payers – all 1% of us – get lost in the middle.
The reply was to re-send what had already been submitted online to an official email ID. Hmm…. that is simple… suspiciously simple… Would it really work???
Did my enthusiasm to get something fixed from 2008/09 make me vulnerable to some brilliant new scam or trick?
Or has the tide actually officially really finally turned and it will indeed be smooth sailing?
Moral of the story?
Living in India Tip #1
Those of you foreigners living in India – best advice anyone can give you to surviving longer term in this country is get a good honest CA.
One you can continue to rely on even after you leave… (if you leave)….
As something you thought was done and dusted years ago can come back to haunt you!
Like a tax issue from 2008/09 still being unresolved in 2017!
Related posts:
Dethroning “King Cash” – daily life post demonetization
While it is true I spent much of November and December in Indonesia, I’m home in India now and discovering the new day-to-day reality of life post demonetization.
For those not familiar, on November 8, 2016 the Prime Minister of India with a swipe of his pen made the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes no longer legal tender – effectively taking 86% of the currency out of circulation.
The rules of how to exchange or deposit any cash kept changing and, more challenging, the new Rs 2,000 then also Rs 500 notes were a different size so ATMs didn’t immediately work. Then when re-calibrated, apps popped up informing where you could get cash – finding an ATM (or bank branch) with cash became a more elusive race than catching Pokemon Go!
Everyday Asia 2016 – Happy New Year!
It is a time of celebration. It was a year of change. From some nerve wracking months when I didn’t know whether I could remain in India to manic work back in one of my favourite places – Jakarta – 2016 had lows and highs and many moments in between.
Blogging honestly hasn’t been a priority. From September, I was more in Indonesia than India. Even when home, my focus was on the project. However I didn’t just work in Jakarta. I did manage an escape to Bogor to breath in oxygenated air at the Botanical gardens and even attend a Christmas fair in Kemang.
Did you want this box?
Feeling blessed…
This time of year is special. I feel particularly blessed… and while the last five years have had some ups and downs, the good far outweighs the challenges.
Five years ago Christmas Eve is when I met my partner.
Bangkok romance, 2011
Saying farewell too soon…
Saying farewell is never easy. And when it is too soon, even more so.
We said farewell to a friend. We celebrated his life. We remembered first moments, great moments, mad moments and more. We were reminded how life takes us on many journeys with twists and turns.
Farewell my friend, may your journey continue…
Spinach head + pissing milk
A sometimes amusing thing about having a smattering of more than one language is how what you hear pops something completely different into your head courtesy of another language!
It can result in some rather odd brain combinations…
The 1st time I was asked if I wanted ‘susu’ in my coffee in Indonesia… had a quite gross image of a kid pissing into my sacred morning ritual with a heavily caffeinated brew!
Cus ‘susu‘ in my Hindi-colonised brain now means… well… taking an erm…. leak.
Whereas in Bahasa it means milk!
Last trip to Jakarta during my stay-cation massage, I thought the girl asked if I wanted a palak massage too.
Now palak to me means spinach…. So I instantly had bizarre cartoon images of spinach dancing in my head!
Turns out she was actually saying kepala i.e. head but obvious my ear was wired to food!
I wonder if others have this strange experience of hearing (or mis-hearing) one thing which bears zero relationship to what is ACTUALLY being said?
Photo: http://www.bukalapak.com
BTW… if you haven’t yet checked out Simone (Lady of the Cakes) new blog on Multilingual by Choice yet, do….
Related posts:
Zoe Moonlit Zapa’s 1st Birthday
So we don’t actually know when Zoe’s first birthday really is. The vet’s estimate post rescue was likely October…. sometime…
Baby Zoe…
See our precious little princess was a stray. Initially brought home by one person, then adopted by another before prancing and pouncing into our home as a gangly pre-teen on Boxing Day aka 26 Dec 2015.
We adore her to bits… and there is little doubt when she comes to curl up for a cuddle, Zoe kinda likes us too. (more…)
Sunday solo salmon in Mumbai
Just after I booked my flight and stay for Jakarta, my attention turned to what needs to get done around the house before I take off for 3 weeks…
Did a little fridge digging and freezer check, discovering a frozen Atlantic salmon fillet just begging to be consumed with some assorted veggies….
My partner was on tour so it was just me, but one of the things about work travel is you learn to revel in the occasional ‘proper’ solo dinner…
So why not get into practice at home?
There you have it… found myself cooking up a storm to produce a scrumptious yet reasonably healthy Sunday dinner just for me, myself and I!
- Poached salmon with a crazy yum citrus dill reduction sauce
- Steamed cauliflower with a dash of tumeric
- Toasted roasted beans with sesame, sunflower, yellow mustard and cumin seeds
- Carrots with cumin and dill
- Potatoes sautéed with onions a special home-made olive oil my partner picked up in Beirut, cracked black pepper and seasalt
What a pleasure… a good proper home cooked meal, at our own table, with a little music in the background. Yup… think I have my ‘home fix’ and easing beautifully into solo meals!
Related posts:
Holiday headaches – competing cacophony
You must be kidding!? There is yet another religious celebration to be fetted at full volume!
This time it happens to be Ganapathi and the clanking of bells, thrum of drums hasn’t relented for hours. And soon it will be joined by the Bandra Fair celebrations (aka Mount Mary feast) with folks walking down our lane with kazoos at 2am. Seriously… Plus Eid with all the goats that have been trotted around for their walks now trotting to a different destination…
During a different festival, there was a hilarious moment on a Skype call to get the background on a project. My buddy could hear the ever increasing decibel level. And this after all the windows, doors were firmly shut, curtains drawn and extra ‘sound proofing’ added! I was even using my noise cancellation headset so I could hear clearly…
My partner has railed against religions blasting music at ear bleeding levels. More than once he has burst out in exasperation with “Does louder equal a bigger d#@k?” (more…)
Rooftop Views in Mumbai
During monsoon, going out for walks along the Bandra sealink promenade is less than appealing.
On days when sitting at the computer working at home, I try to take a break to run up and down the stairs in my building just to get the blood pumping for a few minutes.
As a reward, sometimes when the rain abates slightly, I step out to our rooftop…
The air may be polluted but there is something about seeing the cityscape and sealink in the distance that makes one breath a little deeper. Looking up, I can sometimes spot kites spread their powerful wings and soar above the crows.
Then I head over to the other side for a completely different view. A tarp town… impossible to see the narrow winding lanes between the homes of the old village, covered with blue tarps and old plastic signs pined down with rocks.
Two different perspectives… one city, one village from one rooftop.
Related ‘Sunday Snaps’ posts:
Everyday Asia 