It is 27 days before my leave date. Out of the blue (i.e., they do not
know I have a leave date) a set of gv't fools is now requiring me to
prove I haven't embezzled money from my company that should have gone
to taxes. I despise them.

In conjunction with the dumbass demands they made last month -- for
which we just submitted all paperwork yesterday -- now comes a new
demand: that I switch tax offices from the Western AA branch office
to the A Alem office. There is a deadline with penalties of jail and
large fees if we do not complete the process in time for which we have
submitted all this paperwork. The deadline was yesterday.

But we are not allowed to complete it until we switch offices, and
we are not allowed to do that until we prove that I have paid every
tax I am obligated to have paid, rather than embezzled the money.
Interesting either/or concept, wouldn't you say? Goons.

Though I have paid the taxes correctly, the relevant paperwork is with
the Ministry of Revenues because they are STILL working on the audit
required to get the tax clearance which is required to sell the car.
Which process, by the way is again stalled and again requiring a
statement from the A Alem police attesting to the loss of other
paperwork, and that statement requires that three witnesses attest
to the loss. At least we now understand how to set up those witness
accounts.

When I moved from the city to the countryside 2.5 years ago, I was
directed to, and did, change tax offices from the Eastern AA to the
Western AA branch (from which they now want me to move to the A Alem
one). In the process, they lost my file for a few months, but
eventually it showed up.

About a year ago, I heard that I should be paying payroll and pension
taxes here in Addis Alem instead of at my new tax office. So I
checked, and was told I could pay in either place or, in fact, at any
tax office in the country, as long as I paid correctly and on time.
Apparently incorrect or outdated info, and this is now defined as my
fault.

CAN YOU *BELIEVE* THIS?????? Might as well. This is typical of how the
Ethiopian gv't bureaucracy runs. I doubt I am in danger, but have to
be sure Abrahame is not. Though the lawyer stated that there was no
risk to him at all in taking on a POA to run the biz, he now says that
there is. I despise this place and its unending incompetence, waste of
time and money, and deluge of stress stress stress stress stress.

So now I have to find out how to cancel a POA, and then do it. Back to
the Document Authentication and Registration office.

Well, its almost 4pm, so Day 27 is winding down. I refuse to take
seriously the idea of having this fine/jail biz levied on me before
I go.

BTW, there is yet another unreasonable process that was demanded last
week. It involves the animals' transport. I will describe that in
anther post. It might result in 2-4 cats being temporarily left
behind.

[Posted in FML 7923]