The Taxman Cometh...

I'm going to take a brief time-out from my happy, positive lifestyle plan to go on a bit of a "railing at the sheer injustice of it all" bender. Bear with me on this. Happy sunshiney K will be back soon.

So apparently, DESPITE the fact that while I was employed I paid my taxes to the Irish Government, DESPITE being unemployed for the last 5 months, DESPITE my rapidly dwindling savings and most of all DESPITE the fact that I haven't lived at home AT ALL for the last two and a half years, Revenue Canada has decided that I owe them. And owe them Big Time.

Anyone want to buy a spare kidney that I suppose I don't really need?

Now, I understand that I am still a legal resident of Canada, in that I haven't renounced my citizenship (nor do I ever intend to do so), and as such, I am entitled to use all the services and things that one's tax dollars would normally pay for. Olympics, anyone? (Grr...)

The problem, as I see it, is that I'm effectively being shafted by not one, but TWO countries... AT THE SAME TIME! (apologies for the caps... but what is a rant without caps?) When I was gainfully employed I dutifully paid my taxes to the Irish Government, even though as a non-national I'm not really entitled to anything, including welfare, without it having seriously negative repercussions on any future citizenship applications.

"Ah grand, you want to be Irish. Have you ever been on welfare? You have? (insert disapproving tut-tut noise here) Ah well, we can't be having that. Denied."

At the same time, as a Canadian I'm almost totally entitled to use any or all services my tax dollars pay for... only I'm not in the country!!

The only Canadian service I can use is the Canadian Embassy. And don't even get me started on those guys. For the amount of tax Revenue Canada is currently trying to carve out of my internal organs, the LEAST the Embassy could do is be open longer than 9am - noon. I'm only trying to get my passport renewed. Plus they are way way way across town in the middle of nowhere.

I mean seriously.

End rant.