texans on the autobahn

Robin’s Tax needs turn into problem for me!

Last week Robin met with the German side of the Deloitte and Touche accounting representative to prepare for the upcoming year. We had just received our German 2004 taxes, although what the US end of Deloitte and Touche has done with our US taxes is a mystery to us and to the German accountant. The German taxes can’t even be done until the US taxes are complete!

As it turns out, Robin was missing a particular tax form, a Lohnsteuerkarte, that he had apparently received in the mail and needed to give to the accountant. Robin remembered receiving it, but he had no idea what it was or what it was for. Our neighbor told him it was important, so Robin supposedly put it somewhere waiting for someone to ask him for it. The accountant did ask for it, but of course, Robin now can’t find it and doesn’t remember where he put it.

He told me that he really needed me to get this form and that I would have to go to our local city office to request a copy. The whole time Robin is thinking that this form has something to do with our house here. The accountant emailed us all the information we needed as well as a copy of the 2004 form, and so I called Vera and asked her to go with me.

When I picked Vera up she asked me if I had my passport, which of course I didn’t. She didn’t know if I would need it, but a lot of times in Europe you apparently need it. A drivers license isn’t enough ID as it is in the US. After retrieving my passport we arrived at the city government office and Vera handled the talking. I tried to listen and pick out what I could with my limited German.

I was told that I couldn’t have the Lohnsteuerkarte and that Robin must come to get it. This began to make me angry as do many things that I simply don’t understand. I couldn’t understand why if we had the same last names ( I had my passport, plus the e-mail with all the information that I needed from the accountant, who by the way, had called this same office to get details for us,) I couldn’t have this stupid form. Thank goodness Vera was there. As it turns out, this form was related to Robin’s employment taxes. In Germany, every year the city in which you live sends you a form, much like a US W-4, and each year you must take it to your employer. As a matter of fact, the lady may have said it comes more than once a year, I can’t remember. Apparently, for each job you have here, you must pay different amounts of tax and the governments fear is that someone will say they have lost this card when they haven't just so they can have a duplicate of the lower tax rate card for any of their additional jobs, which obviously is illegal.

Anyway, the lady at the office apparently felt sorry for me, and found a form that she said they shouldn’t even have anymore. She filled out this “phantom” form and told me to have my husband sign it and bring either his passport or a copy of it if he didn’t want me to have it (huh? That’s weird – of course he’ll let me have it!) She really went beyond her duty and completely filled out the form – very kind of her.

I told Robin that if he loses any more important forms, he will be the one to handle it! I don’t think he’ll be losing any from now on. I returned the next week and Robin now has his Lohnsteuerkarte to give to TI!

However, we still have no idea if the US Deloitte and Touche have completed our taxes!!!

posted by stuckinthemiddle @ 3:40 PM