Here be grrrrrr.

[byslantedlight]

I'm calm now. At the time I may have been somewhat - terse - with both the woman in human resources, and the one in the college who decided to send me the information two days before christmas. I slammed the door. I kicked the file cabinet (steel-toed boots). My lovely sister-in-starbucks, the gorgeous Stepheeee (*waves*) did an admirable job in a 90 minute international phone conversation in preventing me from rushing downstairs and bloodying the lovely carpet. I've taken out all my aggression on random shoppers at the supermarket - don't worry, only with glares, and none that were intercepted. And finally, I've watched Judge John Deed who is calming, right? So it's okay now.

I don't think I need to swear any more. But I do need to say that the people who decided that, since I have spent some five years in this country, and despite it not being by any means consecutive, I need to pay both FICA and Medicare are... somewhat unkind in their interpretation of economics, and rather acting against what we might call the spirit of encouraging international academics. And I would like to say here that I am perfectly happy to pay federal tax, and to make a contribution to the social security and health systems of any country in which I live. However I find the fact that I am expected to make such contribution and at the same time am disallowed from ever claiming on either support system to be somewhat... contradictory. I also find it somewhat disagreeable that they take these payments in the sum of nearly 8% of my gross "salary" which itself amounts to something less than £6000pa. Furthermore, I was a tourist for one of those alleged "five" years, travelling on money that I had worked hard for and already payed taxes. Furtherfurthermore I spent more time outside of this country than in it since I originally visited, and I have no intention of living here permanently. You have to be kidding. (Nothing personal guys - you I like, it's just the people at the top). And-and-and I've brought into this country money that projects wouldn't have otherwise had. So - gargh bastards.

And almost worse - human-fucking-resources who decided that the best time to send me an email about this would be the day before everyone breaks up for christmas - two days, in fact, before the season of alleged goodwill itself. Where did that piece of psychological wormery originate I wonder?

So the short of it is that the pay rise I was happy and relieved about a week ago has been all but wiped out by this charming piece of beaurocratic wankery.

And I can't even walk long and far and hard to get it out of my system because it is december and we are therefore constrained to the Fairbanks Shuffle for another 4 months or so - which does not help in the release of anger and general grumpiness. So - gaaaaaargh!

Sorry. Hmmn. I may have been somewhat mistaken about the level of my calmness.

Comments

[empty-mirrors.livejournal.com]

That sucks like a huge sucking thing. Are they going to insist, or can you find a way to do the tax avoidance shuffle?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it does. *sighs* I think it's one of those things where there is no shuffling to be done, like NI - I already pay other tax which is the stuff I can claim back because I'm a poor student. This is summat else again... Ah well. Thanks for agreeing how much it sucks!