There is something to be said about the power of our imagination. It can come up with some amazing things, but also create some horror shows that Stephen King would admire. This is particularly true when it comes to getting a notice from a tax agency in the mail.
I live in California. This means my business and individual taxes are controlled by the Franchise Tax Board. The “FTB” makes the IRS look like Mother Theresa. It is nasty agency that will spare no penny going making a taxpayer’s life utterly miserable. Given this reputation, you can imagine how I felt when I opened my post office box and found a thick letter from the FTB among my bills and junk mail. Oh, no.
The distance from the post office to my home is about 2 miles. Being California, there is a traffic light every 10 feet or so. This gave me plenty of time to consider what was in the letter. Why not open it? No, I was going to need an adult beverage for this. It was probably an audit notice. I was probably going to spend the next six months trying to prove why I need pens for my business. I didn’t have time to do that. I had a business to run. I was going to be bankrupted…
I was in a good lather by the time I got home. I walked in the door giving off such bad vibes, my friendly dog did a u-turn and headed for the backyard. After some liquid courage, I opened the letter and read closely. Guess what? It was sort of good news. California charges incorporated businesses $800 a year for the “privilege of doing business in California.” I had apparently paid mine twice for some fiscal year, once at the beginning and once at the end. I was getting an $800 refund plus interest!
Suffice to say, I was not going to be audited, ruined or thrown into bankruptcy. Heck, I was even going to get a nice refund. The letter of death turned out to be no problem at all. This is often the case, so don’t fret like me when you get a notice in the mail. Open it up to see what it is and avoid the nightmare scenarios your imagination can come up with!
Thomas Ajava is with
DutchessCountyPropertyTaxLawyer.com - where you can find a Dutchess County property tax lawyer to contest assessments and property tax increases.
