Dear New York State

[TaraLee4]

Dear State of New York:

Why must you make the most complicated forms I have ever seen for part year residents? Why do I have to fill out 3 forms, one of which asks me how many days of the year I worked and how many of those days were weekends or holidays? Do I get to pay less taxes if I worked every Sunday? Not that I could tell, because the wording is in lawyer-language.

Who came up with these forms? No wonder there's issues balancing the budget. and no wonder people pay other people to file their taxes, but I will not pay $30.00 to get my $85.00 refund. (plus my mom is an accountant and would cut me off at the knees)

I will overcome your lawyer-speak, mulitple forms and percentages. I will get my day planner from last year and COUNT how many days I worked in NY -- even those Sundays (just in case)

And then I shall have my mother check it (ha ha!)

Because you WILL pay me my $85 refund.

Love,
Tara

PS Florida has the easiest state tax paperwork ever -- none!

 

[koolaidmoms]

Dear Tara,

We will gladly send you your refund after you have received your advanced tax training and completed the 85 hours of paperwork needed to fill out the NYS part-year and non-resident forms.

It is our sincere hope that no one else finds out that you actually can fill out the forms and instead gives up and refuses to pay an accountant $50-$100 to receive a refund and allows us to keep the money. We are in dire straights trying to balance the budget in NYS.

Sincerely,

NYS Department of Taxation

 

[GeorgeG]

New York was a beautiful sight in my rear-view mirror when I left to move to Florida! I'm content to stay here all year and NY can't touch a penny of my pension, even though it's paid out NY. Gotta love Florida tax laws!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I hear you. I had to do partial-year NYS tax forms in both 2005 and 2009.

It wasn't just the tax forms for NYS that I found ridiculous. Just about all of their paperwork and policies are more complicated than necessary.

 

[bumbershoot]

Gotta love Florida tax laws!

Meanwhile, my uncle, who lived from teenage years to retirement in Florida, bid it goodbye due to other financial laws, and moved to Tennessee! No place is perfect.

 

[MoniqueU]

That made me howl in laughter!!

Tara can you write the CA dmv and ask why not a single DMV form they have at the offices is in Enlish. Every friggling languated incloding aboriginey but nope, not one english form to be found!!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

That made me howl in laughter!!

Tara can you write the CA dmv and ask why not a single DMV form they have at the offices is in Enlish. Every friggling languated incloding aboriginey but nope, not one english form to be found!!

And when you find out, I'd like to know why I couldn't find an English voting registration form in NYS. I was told I could go online and mail the form, but you didn't need a stamp for the cards. So I matched up the question numbers on the card with the English version of the form available online. I can't remember if I registered to vote in Russian or Chinese.

Not a state government issue, but I would get my Staples ad (among other things, including the phone book) in Spanish. I knew something was on sale; matched it to the ad online in English to check the fine print, but only had the Spanish version to take with me to the store to match the item for the price. When I got to the cash register, the cashier fussed at me for having the ad only in Spanish. She said something like "How do you expect me to read this?! I don't speak Spanish!" and my reply was "THIS is what YOUR store sends me! I don't speak Spanish either!"

Don't get me wrong - I find different languages fascinating, and more power to people who are bilingual. But it IS frustrating to have to jump through hoops when no English version is available.

 

[Nancy]

Dear Tara,

We will gladly send you your refund after you have received your advanced tax training and completed the 85 hours of paperwork needed to fill out the NYS part-year and non-resident forms.

It is our sincere hope that no one else finds out that you actually can fill out the forms and instead gives up and refuses to pay an accountant $50-$100 to receive a refund and allows us to keep the money. We are in dire straights trying to balance the budget in NYS.

Sincerely,

NYS Department of Taxation

That is perfect.

 

[arminnie]

New York was a beautiful sight in my rear-view mirror when I left to move to Florida! I'm content to stay here all year and NY can't touch a penny of my pension, even though it's paid out NY. Gotta love Florida tax laws!

California did tax pensions after you had moved out of state until the Supreme Court whacked them down a few years ago. It was awful!!!!