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 Apparently incorrect or outdated info, and this is now defined as my fault.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]