Tax Season

March 28, 2014




It's been a very busy couple of weeks for me. Last weekend my nursing organization held a conference in Farmington. Since I am the treasurer I handled the registration. All of the officers did an outstanding job. The conference was a big success but time consuming for all of us. I did spend the day before shopping in West Hartford center with Jeanne and the afternoon following shopping with Annie. It was even sunny and warmish.


I spent the following week getting ready for my trip to Florence. No complaints there. But in between all this I also paid my taxes. Wow. I didn't realize all the money involved in that endeavor. First let me start by saying I forgot to pay my January taxes on both the house and the cars. They were there in the folder marked taxes and on the calendar where I clearly marked, PAY TAXES. And I did pay taxes in January. But it was the tax on my alimony. Which was right in the folder with the other bills which I never even looked at. I still don't understand why I have to pay the taxes on that and HE gets to count it as a deduction. Anyway when I got the delinquent notice I immediately ran to the tax office like a criminal.


A few weeks later I received a letter in the mail from the City of New Haven. They apparently contract with an agency called Municipal Tax Services. This agency goes around at night taking pictures of license plates in the city and tries to collect taxes on vehicles they claim are "garaged" in New Haven. What a rewarding job that must be. Needless to say I was not happy to receive this in the mail at such a busy time. It identified me as the "plaintiff" and stated I had the Burden of proof. But criminals like bank robbers and murderers don't have to prove anything. Somehow that doesn't seem fair to me. Which I let the gentleman from that agency know. A law abiding, tax paying, working, productive member of society has the burden of proof for a car?!!! Why doesn't the city have the burden of proof? Show me a picture of the license plate with proof that it was taken in the city of New Haven on a certain consecutive number of nights.


Anyway, we finally got it straightened out. My insurance agency clarified it but not until after I was asked to send proof that I owned my home. What did that have to do with the car? So, thank you, City of New Haven, where crime is rampant, for using tax payer dollars to harass law abiding citizens from other towns and adding just a little more stress to my life.