Your record keeping practices suck.. as do your accounting practices.. then again, maybe this is a shrewd way of getting out of that terrible fiscal crisis?

What am I talking about? Today as I came home I was greeting by a letter in my mailbox addressed from the Department of Revenue Services (CT version of IRS).. never a good sign.. well, it wasn't this time either.

According to their records I paid no taxes for the year of 2000 and owe them $554.87 plus interest and penalties for a total of $743.56. Interesting how that happened considering I have a copy of my 2000 tax return that claims I was owed a $39 refund.

So tomorrow I get to call them and try to straighten this out (I wonder if copies of W2s and a return which clearly show I paid taxes will be enough?). Like I don't have enough problems keeping my own accounting straight, now I have to do it for the state of Connecticut too.

I am interested to know though.. if they have no record of me paying the tax.. do they have a record of them paying me back the balance they owed? ($39) I wonder if I can get that plus penalties and interest back.. yah.. okay, you can stop laughing now, it wasn't *that* funny. How did they come to the conclusion I earned income and owe taxes? Must be the copy of W2s employers are required to send to the state.. the very same W2s that show tax was withheld and in fact I overpaid.. hmm.. funny how they didn't spot that figure.