Worst Mail Da Ever

I won't get into all the gritty details (because, really they are not that interesting) but I'd like to take one second to detail my recent experience with the City of Los Angeles Office of Finance - which sent me another irritating letter today. Duh.

Basically, I did a tiny bit of freelance work in 2007, while in-between real jobs. So along comes winter of 2008 and the city sends me like a notice of tax hearing that I've not paid my taxes. What taxes?! Oh, you have to pay city taxes on businesses located in that city. Well, OK that makes sense. My bad.

So I fill out the forms, indicate that, hey, they have my address wrong and, hey, I no longer do freelance and haven't for over a year but if they would tell me what I owe (or how I might be able to find that out) I would love to pay the taxes and be done with it.

Then nothing.

Then I get an active business license with my old address. So I call back. Hey (I say) I don't have a business anymore and you've still got my address wrong. They say they need my "gross receipts" but I don't have them on me (because its from 2007 and now it is 2009).

Then I get an updated active business liscence in the mail... at least it has the right address now.

So THEN I email them with my gross receipts and ask what to do next. Today I get a letter in the mail saying I owe $1000 ($660 principle and the rest in fees). But when I look at the assessment its weird. It looks like they are saying I made over $100,000 - I assure you I did not. Oh and the account number is suddenly different and this is tax liability for 2008. Holy crap, whats going on.

So I have to call them again and hope that their system isn't "overburdened" like it was last time I tried to call/leave a message/send an email. Baring help there (I mean I wouldn't believe this story if someone told it to me so I'll probably need some sort of visual proof) I'll have to go to a City Finance Office and try to be civil so that they don't make my life hell.

Oh wait, they already did that.