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In a way, this actually makes it simpler. But I’ll probably end up using tax preparation software anyway.
-via Glenn Reynolds | Image: Daniel J. Velleman
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A German tax lawyer took advantage of a very unusual case to earn €450,000. His client earned little money, but the government mistakenly attributed an enormous income to him and sent him a proportionate tax bill:
In 2001, a German pensioner went into the tax collector’s office to fill out his tax return. He put down an annual income of €11,000 — which, it turns out, was an error. He filed a correction, restating his income to be €17,000. Unfortunately, the tax official working on his paperwork failed to enter the correction properly. Instead, the pensioner’s income was listed at an absurd €1,100,017,000 — the GDP of a tiny country.
Given those “earnings,” the pensioner’s tax bill came in at €287 million and change.
Clearing up the error was not hard. The pensioner’s lawyer, Dr. Graefe, simply wrote a letter to the German tax authorities explaining the error. His client’s tax liability was corrected and he went on with his life. Dr. Graefe, thereafter, looked to collect his fee.
In the United States, typically, the client pays the fee for services provided, and in a matter like this, the fee would (likely) be an hourly one; the American equivalent of Dr. Graefe would probably earn $100 or so. Not bad. But in Germany, the law holds that when an attorney wins such a reduction, the lawyer’s fee — paid for by the tax man — is a percentage of said reduction. In this case, Graefe’s cut should have been about €450,000, but of course, the tax department disputed this amount as excessive.
The court agreed with Graefe’s reasoning and paid him. Link
Photo by Flickr user Images_of_Money used under Creative Commons license
IKEA is the world’s largest furniture store. In fact, the company is so big, it is estimated that around 10% of all Europeans alive today were conceived on an IKEA bed. Despite its success though, the company still has quite a few dark secrets, as well as a number of interesting trivia bits. Whether you love the flat-pack manufacturer or hate it, these 10 facts about the company are certain to spark your interest in the things that happen behind the scenes of IKEA.
Image via Calvin Teo [Wikipedia]
The Store Was Created By A Nazi Sympathizer. Founder Ingvar Kamprad founded IKEA in 1943. He was only seventeen at the time. At the same time, he was also directly involved with fund-raising and recruitment for the New Swedish Movement, a pro-fascist, anti-Semitist group that emphasized Swedish Nationalism. When the matter came out in 1994, Kamprad claimed it was the biggest mistake of his life. He apologized for his involvement with the group and wrote a letter to every Jewish employee on his staff to personally apologize for his actions. Even so, the issue caused a minor controversy when IKEA opened its first store in Israel. In the end, the country seemed to forgive him and IKEA is now one of only a handful of companies to have stores in both Israel and other Muslim Middle Eastern countries.
Image via yassan-yukky [Flickr]
Image via DrJohnBullas [Flickr]
Their Catalog Is More Popular Than The Bible. Ok, maybe that’s a little misleading, but every year, there are almost three times more copies of the catalog printed than the bible. They started printing the catalog in 1951 and it has since taken on a life of its own, consuming a full 70% of the companies marketing budget every year and developing a devoted fan base of people who analyze the images looking for obscure books in the bookshelves, Mickey Mouse references and cats hiding in the fake households. There are now 55 editions printed in 27 languages every year.
Image via thekellyscope [Flickr]
Do you like the company or hate it? More to the point, have you changed your opinion after learning about Kamprad’s dirty secrets or about their progressive ads targeted to homosexuals?
Sources: Wikipedia and Mental Floss
Ever wondered what bears consider worth their hard-earned money? You probably could have guessed this one, but Pleated Jeans has also charted how bats, cats, kangaroos, snails, rabbits, bluejays, anteaters, and more animals are spending their tax refunds. Link to part one. Link to part two.
Meet Sheeba. She needs to do her taxes. Unfortunately, for her human food provider this is an arduous and tedious process. DUDE!
A cat named Sammy was usually seen lounging in the window of the post office in Notasulga, Alabama until someone complained.
“They said ‘This is a federal building and he doesn’t pay federal taxes so he can’t come in’,” said postal worker Rochelle Langford.
From the pose he strikes in this photo, Sammy doesn’t seem too happy about the eviction. But Sammy’s supporters think they have found a way around the banishment. They have rented a post office box in his name! Link -via Arbroath
