J.R. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
candidgamera) wrote2007-08-07 12:20 pm
candidgamera) wrote2007-08-07 12:20 pm
Entry tags:
Government Inefficiency
A couple weeks ago, I received from the county assessor's office a form. This form was dubbed a 'self-assessment' - used to report property of various sorts. There's a space for vehicles, mobile homes, real estate, dogs, and - so you can accurately pay your 'coyote' fees - a space to list livestock like goats.
It is accompanied by a leaflet that explains the form in more detail, but without offering any real information. Things like : 'Under owner's value, put the owner's value.' Zen instructions, I suppose. 'Wherever you sign, there's your name.'
So I am looking at this pair of documents, and despairing. They list my truck, but not my house. But this is supposed to be the state of things as of last July 1st, so did they just miss my house? I had owned it at the time. For the truck, they want an owner's value, and a bed length, et cetera. For the house, they want map and plot information, my value for the land and the house, et cetera.
And realistically, I know that "my value" can't be that useful to them. They're going to tax me on their value, not mine. I could put $5 there, or $5 billion.
Finally, yesterday, I called the assessor's office. I wanted to know just what information they needed from me, so I could move on with my life, with my goats adequately protected from coyotes. I start to explain how my house isn't on there, I ask what do they mean by 'my value', et cetera.
Her : "Sir, all you need to do is sign and return the form."
Me : "What? But the instructions say X, and Y.."
Her : "I know. It's a state form, we only use the vehicle section really - if you have the same vehicle as last year, just sign and return the form."
Me : "Okaaay.."
Like I'm going to argue much about not having to fill out the form. Still, I have to wonder - the little instruction book was printed with Marion County information specifically. It contained instructions for each section of the form, not just the vehicles. The extra instructions did not read : 'Don't fill this out. We don't use this.' So.. odd.
Makes me wonder if they donate half the coyote fee to the coyotes. I mean, they keep affording all those ACME gadgets somehow.
It is accompanied by a leaflet that explains the form in more detail, but without offering any real information. Things like : 'Under owner's value, put the owner's value.' Zen instructions, I suppose. 'Wherever you sign, there's your name.'
So I am looking at this pair of documents, and despairing. They list my truck, but not my house. But this is supposed to be the state of things as of last July 1st, so did they just miss my house? I had owned it at the time. For the truck, they want an owner's value, and a bed length, et cetera. For the house, they want map and plot information, my value for the land and the house, et cetera.
And realistically, I know that "my value" can't be that useful to them. They're going to tax me on their value, not mine. I could put $5 there, or $5 billion.
Finally, yesterday, I called the assessor's office. I wanted to know just what information they needed from me, so I could move on with my life, with my goats adequately protected from coyotes. I start to explain how my house isn't on there, I ask what do they mean by 'my value', et cetera.
Her : "Sir, all you need to do is sign and return the form."
Me : "What? But the instructions say X, and Y.."
Her : "I know. It's a state form, we only use the vehicle section really - if you have the same vehicle as last year, just sign and return the form."
Me : "Okaaay.."
Like I'm going to argue much about not having to fill out the form. Still, I have to wonder - the little instruction book was printed with Marion County information specifically. It contained instructions for each section of the form, not just the vehicles. The extra instructions did not read : 'Don't fill this out. We don't use this.' So.. odd.
Makes me wonder if they donate half the coyote fee to the coyotes. I mean, they keep affording all those ACME gadgets somehow.