ATO insanity
13 Dec 2004Grrrrrrrrr! The tax office here in Australia is realllly annoying me right about now. Apparently, foreign Proof of Identity is more reliable than an Australian equivalent — my Australian passport only counts as secondary ID (“Category B”, in ridiculous ATO parlance), whilst an identical overseas document is apparently primary! Hiss.
What’s even worse is that they require a permanent (as in fixed, as in NOT my current situation) place of residence for their records — the Postal address can be anything, but the home address must be an actual address, not a P.O. Box or anything like that. Which makes things difficult for nomads like me. Oh, right up until I called them, and asked what the deal was; apparently, there just needs to be some fixed address in that field… who cares if it isn’t mine?! The person I spoke to (who spoke English fluently, but with a rather illegible accent) advised I use the address of a parent or girlfriend or grandparent or employer or something — it kind of makes you wonder what the hell the point is in the first place. Surely, a fixed address, as opposed to a mailing address, is designed to allow them to come and beat down your door and arrest you for tax evasion if neccessary! Sigh.
*Josh is angry*
Okay, rant over.