badmigraine
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Posts posted by badmigraine
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Thanks for the tip, Sunrise.
So you weren't allowed to get (or renew?) a work visa until you'd handled the tax issue? At what point in the visa application process did they bring up the tax issue?
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Wow, that's interesting.
If you're resident in the ward as of Jan 1 2002, then you owe ward tax. The amount is a percentage of your 2001 income. You pay the tax in 2002.
In my "friend's" case, he was residing in the ward on Jan 1 2002 so he'd ordinarily be liable for the ward tax. He quit his job and left Japan in mid-late 2002, just as the tax bills were starting to come thick and fast. He can prove he was living and working abroad for over 12 months, late 2002 until spring 2004. Does that sound like an out?
Or would the game be to prove "not residing in Japan on Jan. 1 2002, when the tax debt accrues"?
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Hey enders, my friend is thinking sometime this spring.
Zooks, that's bad, really bad! I know the national tax and local tax guys sit together at the same table in the ward and prefectural offices. They have their act together from a workflow standpoint, but can't collect or enforce each other's taxes.
Hence the kind personal visitors you received from the old ward office. Well, I guess my friend will be found out the same way. Maybe he better look for an autolock mansion to avoid those annoying personal callers.
I'm sure he'll get embarrassing phone calls at work too.
Oh well. Maybe it's worth the 800,000 yen. I'll have to ask him next time we speak...
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Can they nail you in one ward if you didn't pay in another?
I have (ahem) a friend who left Japan in the middle of last year before paying all of his ward tax. Bills for it--over 700,000 yen--continued to be forwarded from Japan until a final letter arrived noting total failure to pay, and mentioning that the ward might pursue all available options to collect the money, including levying on property such as bank accounts.
The friend did not fear. He was Living Large back home in his own country. He knew that he would not be extradited for non-payment of ward tax. He also had no Japan property on which the ward could levy. In short, he GOT AWAY WITH IT.
Several Japanese friends informed him anecdotally that the wards can't even force Japanese people to pay these taxes, so non-payment is not such a big deal...unlike non-payment of national taxes, which is tougher to get away with.
Now this friend is thinking of making his big return to Japan. This time, he'll be living in a different ward of Tokyo.
He wonders, do the wards coordinate on this stuff? On that fateful day when he goes to get his gaijin card from the new ward office, will they say, "uh...it shows here you have unpaid tax debt in X-ku, and until it is cleared we cannot issue you a gaijin card in this ward..."
Anybody know anything about this stuff?
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Third time around for this thread, guys!
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Look guys, here's my 2 cents on whether they popped open because snow was obstructing the closure:
Here's _freak, a rabid cannonball boarder who's been a Flow fanatic for years, has an older pair probably ridden into the ground that never popped open for any reason whatsoever, and now he gets into a new Pro model and it pops open.
He surely wiped as necessary and locked it the way he always does, the way he has 5,000 times before. And if it popped due to snow even after that, then it must be a defective, snow-hogging design. Not acceptable. This shouldn't happen to such an experienced rider or Flow user. There's something wrong here. I hope he gets to the store rep ASAP. If it is a snow clogging issue where the Pro behaves differently from older versions, then think what less experienced riders are going to find.
If it didn't pop open due to snow, but due to some other problem, well, that's another story. Maybe it was the only Flow binding off the assembly line in 2003 with this problem. Or maybe ALL the Pro models pop open. Whatever it is it needs fixing. I've had Burton and Salomon strap bindings that came apart on the slope, or had broken straps that pitched me out dangerously on the gelende. I've had Burtons that wouldn't let me OUT of the binding. In powder or a tree well, I might have died, stuck to the board like that.
You pays your penny and you takes your chances. You figure it out, fix it, and go boarding.
I never stopped buying these products, I just tried to make sure they were working right like any other piece of gear.
My Flows rule, they are heartily recommended. _freak, I'm glad you're OK, and hope you post whatever you find out from the maker, so we can all follow along.
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I used to get a coffee, go upstairs to my computer, chat with Mogs via mail all day, then go home.
Nobody ever asked ME if I worked there. In a way, I never really did.
And I think that's how they wanted it. Never has an employer's asking so little cost me so much effort.
Put another way, that was the hardest I've ever not worked.
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Hey Plucks, great report and I'm sure the knee will be fine. I had a op myself last summer and the thing still works but has its limits...a bit of swelling in there can make all kinds of things feel funny or hurt wrong, but a few days later, all is forgotten and good again.
Keep up the ripping good yarns!
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Up to 1994, you didn't get any back at all. Things have improved, eh?
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Yes nags, sad to say I am indeed a lawyer, and I mostly hate it. I always wanted to do something with my hands, and typing was not what I had in mind.
Enders, as far as me getting the boot or laid off, it never seems to happen. In fact I usually get asked to help clean up the legal mess made by others, including HR, when they've improperly fired other people.
I've made a career out of having the kind of job where there is endless unpaid overtime and weekend work, and no chance for future riches, and huge responsibility with zero authority, and dreadful stressful boring incredibly complex and convoluted blah blah work...
Now it's time for me to get a job that stops at 5 p.m. This legal temping seems to be working out like that. The pay isn't too great, but I get control of my schedule and can look for a sustainable "real" job, one that I can have for the next Very Long Time if I choose to.
As a postscript to my lawyer rant, in spite of my expensive Ivy League education and stellar law school credentials, it's my no-name law school acquaintances that stuck around my hometown doing drunk driving and personal injury cases that are now making millions, living in giant houses and leasing a brace of luxury SUVs and sedans every couple of years.
My mistake I guess. There are jobs and there are jobs. I chose wrong...
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BigSausage, I have this exact problem about once a year on my Windows 98 and ME machines.
A reinstall certainly fixes it, but you can fix it easier another way:
Open MS Word (or Excel), go to the Help menu, then select "detect and repair". The machine fixes itself.
That always works for me. Until it happens again, that is...
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_freak, I've recently started watching it on Cartoon Network here in the US...
I'd flashed past it over the months while channel surfing, but never stopped to watch it.
One day I did, and within a minute I was hooked. This one is a real hoot!
Maybe I'll pick up the DVDs...if ever I return to Japan, I think boxed sets of DVDs like that are a definite plus to maintain sanity...they exist for everything from All in the Family to Sopranos and even the latest mutant/x-file/sci-fi type show...even if it is media junk food, sometimes ya just need an evening alone with a bucket of popcorn and the remote control.
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Anyone working at a company that is teetering on the brink of failure?
How does that make the daily work feel, and what do you think you might be doing a year or two down the road?
I seem to have a talent for landing up at companies with crumbling foundations and rotten organizational culture.
I spent most of my 8 years in Japan at a famous automaker that wouldn't even exist now if not for lucky billions in foreign investment...the foreign investor must now regret its support as the company in question continues its inexorable decline into bankruptcy and dissolution...
Now, back in the states, I've picked up some work at a company that recently filed the largest retail bankruptcy in the history of the planet...after over a year in Chapter 11 reorganization, it has emerged with some dubious new financing to welch on its pre-bankruptcy obligations (that's how Chapter 11 works) and try to make a go of things by cutting back size and increasing margins...good luck to it.
There are people who specialize in making big money off failing companies, either as turnaround consultants or rapacious purchasers of distressed assets.
Maybe I ought to look into that. I've certainly got the talent for sussing out failing companies. Now if only I could put that to use somehow...
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If I get a pic of it, can anybody suggest a site where can I upload for free it so all can see?
Ta.
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I was up at the Salvation Army looking at used clothes with my sis this evening. And guess what they've got!
A purple one-piece snowsuit with cinchable waist for only $9!! It's US men's size L.
Darn, I am torn on this one. That would make a great impression here at Alpine Valley.
If anybody on this board is really interested, I could pick it up for you and mail it.
Maybe this post should be in the Classifieds thread, but the item isn't mine and I'm not looking to make any money on it. I just think a disgusting purple one-piece snowsuit should not rot on a hanger somewhere, when there are stylish L-sized skiers & boarders in Japan with important places to ride but limited fashion choices.
It would have been my Xmas present to Mogski, but he's XL size.
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I'm still in the turdbrown one piece with stained cream flap collar and elastic cinched waist.
Comfort and style, boys, it's all about comfort and style.
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Ocean quoth
You must be joking, sir. That combination works best for Mad Scientists and varnish removal!Quote:never never drink Awamori on top of Paburon...I don't even want to think about it.
After an unpleasant accident involving 9 bottles of India Pale Ale and assorted cheap reds, I am on the wagon. And getting thirsty again...
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I've been a Yahoo.com guy for a few years now. I paid $19 or something every year for extra mail storage and full send/receive POP access.
The problem is, a number of places I need to send mail to don't permit Yahoo or Hotmail addresses due to the high spam level.
So I had to keep my old GOL account active anyway.
So to use the "free" Yahoo mail, I pay $19.99/yr. for necessary storage memory, and $60/yr. for a GOL Lite account. Oh, and about $450/yr. for cable modem service.
At around $530/yr., that's some free mail service.
Last night a Net newbie at my bro's wine party said, "I'm paying $6.95/mo. for NetZero dialup access, using Outlook Express for my mail..."
I ought to look into that.
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Not really relevant, but watching a vid the other day I saw the actor who played Suzuki-san in the Nova commercial years ago ("The girl is crying...oh you dropped a handkerchief...").
Looks like he's still in the business.
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There is a girl at Mogski's company who goes by the name "Hairy Legs".
The hairs are so long, they stick out of the pantyhose all over the place, and you can see them matted down underneath the sheer nylon.
Very nice!
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I don't know about you guys, but I don't need to help out Bangoura Kabila. I'm waiting on a big payout from Bill Gates/Microsoft, because per their kind request I forwarded an e-mail helping check out the performance of Windows.
Yep. The check from Bill should be here any day now.
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Stoke...the word comes from the Dutch stoken, meaning "to stoke".
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I've run out of drugs that amuse me or even work right on me anymore.
WEED
In high school and college it used to be great, made me laugh, love music more, prolong orgasm, etc. But over time it has ceased to have a positive effect on me. I get an immediate vise-like pressure headache, become very sleepy and stupid, and super-frustratingly bored realizing that I have shut myself down for the next many hours. It is awful. I sure wish I could go back to the old days when it was fun. And before you lucky ones rush to tell me that I have been smoking the wrong variety, let me assure you that over the last decade I have tried everyone's "great" stashes and types of leaf and hash, all with the same result: I am done with THC.
ACID
Same trip every time, so who wants to give up 12 hours for the ride, then 24 hours the next day feeling sluggish, burnt and blah. A lot of fun in college, and maybe a few times after, but I was all done with LSD about 20 years ago.
X
Again, same trip every time. It sure was fun at trance parties in the early to mid-90s, but really. It's the same thing every time, and who can be bothered? Some serious doubts about long-term health/brain effects too.
COKE
It doesn't seem to work on me. I have tried many times, including "great" stuff that my friends couldn't stop talking about. Felt like drinking an espresso shot, but only lasted 20 minutes. Highly overrated. I must be immune, and judging from the purported high, I can't say I feel sorry about that. Seems an awfully expensive "cheap thrill". I'm done with coke without ever having gotten started.
MUSHROOMS
I still have a soft spot for these. Maybe once a year on a magical night in the right setting.
BOOZE
See my comments on weed, above. For some reason, I am feeling "done" with booze. I feel the hangover almost before I begin drinking. I don't enjoy being drunk. I hate loud bars and blaring music. I get migraines the next day and feel sluggish and blasted. I may have one glass of red with Ocean, but I am pretty much done with booze.
CIGGIES
The stupidest addiction ever. Highly overrated. Look at the face of a smoker taking frantic, hurried puffs in the smoking area as the train is pulling up...scary. You see the whole thing as a drug delivery system, and as far as those systems, go, this one is a smelly carcinogenic flop. Amazing how tobacco runs many people's lives. Yes, I used to smoke while drinking...it magnified my hangover by 5. Horrible. All done.
MESCALINE
Only tried this once. Not bad really, but mushrooms do the same trick. Done with mescaline.
PEYOTE
Tried this once in LA. Similar to mushrooms, except you have to vomit at first because the husks of the psychoactive seeds can't be fully removed, and they are an emetic. Why bother? Mushrooms are better. I'm done with peyote.
NARCOTIC PAINKILLERS
Here I'm talking straight Winona Ryder/Rush Limbaugh candy: vicodin, percodan, lorcet, darvon, oxycontin, etc. Let me put it to you this way: it would be cheaper and more legal to simply wrap your head in a pillow, take an over-the-counter sleeping pill, and have a glass of red wine. I tried them all after some surgeries I had, and a few times recreationally, but I just don't get it. I don't see how anybody could get hooked on these. The "high" is really a low. It's really small potatoes. Sleepy, stupid, sluggish, bored, tired but jabbering about the most trivial stuff...then finding the next day is lost to that same old burnt, tired, blah feeling. ZZZZzzzz... I am done with these without ever having gotten started.
SPEED
I do like caffeine. Ephedra used to be nice if I had to pull an all-nighter, but now I think just going to bed at bedtime would be a thousand times better than staying up on ephedrine. And healthier too. I've tried crystal meth a few times in my L.A. motorcycle days, but didn't see the fun in it. I'd rather just have a triple espresso.
ROBITUSSIN
Anybody remember robo-ing? A legal ingredient in Robitussin, an over-the-counter cough medicine, becomes hallucinogenic if taken in larger quantities. The authorities were onto this in the early 90s when they'd find piles of empty Robitussin bottles in alleys or woods, where high school kids had been indulging. I tried this once. You have to drink a lot of the stuff, which made me throw up in the end. I had a weird hallucinogenic feeling for a couple hours, but believe me, this is a high for people who can't get any other kind of drugs. It belongs in this next class of recreational substances:
WHIPPETS, GLUE, NUTMEG, NITROUS, etc.
Are you kidding me? Headache city. `Nuff said.
That's about it for me. I haven't yet tried Viagra or amyl nitrate, but when I do, I'll file my report here.
If I could rewrite my physical and neural pathways, it would be to go back to the days when I could enjoy a puff and a boozer. Oh well. At least I don't need the Viagra yet.
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OK, I've waited this long but it seems nobody is going to say it...so I will.
"Being trapped at work on a powder day."
There. I said it.
Skipping out on ward tax
in General off-topic discussions
Posted
Hang in there, Ocean. If my wife has her way (i.e., inevitable), I'll end up living permanenly in Okayama within the next few years. You and I can meet for thin coffee or weak lagers at that weird restaurant under the Seto Ohashi.
Yum!