You know, when I lived in the other place, the one that some people decry as socialism or whatever, I could confirm my pay as you go taxes for the year in a few clicks on a free website. Anyway, many hours with TurboTax later, I’ve filed my 2025 return. Please clap.
I have never encountered more bizarre bureaucracy and egregious form filling than in these United States.
@ben My other half is a US citizen and, notwithstanding that we live, work and earn money in England, she's UK tax-resident and has already paid UK income tax, she has to file a US tax return every year. The entire process is so complicated, Kafka-esque and loaded with bear traps that we have to pay a specialist US ex-pat tax accountant to do it for her, at a cost of well over a grand every year.
"Land of the Free", my arse.
@ben my personal interactions with HMRC as a common-or-garden salaried employee with no extra income amounted to:
* receiving two automatic refund cheques after periods of unemployment (unexpected free money in the post is a nice surprise!) and the resulting tax code chaos after getting back on PAYE; and
* asking some questions when I left the UK.
Miss that simplicity, especially as I somehow ended up owing tax this year.
Ben Werdmuller
Annie G
Debbie Goldsmith 🏳️⚧️♾️🇺🇦
Eldritch kcarruthers
Hedders
Budrick