{"id":2660,"date":"2012-04-09T08:00:13","date_gmt":"2012-04-09T08:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=2660"},"modified":"2012-04-09T03:56:53","modified_gmt":"2012-04-09T03:56:53","slug":"tax-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/tax-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Tax Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s on your mind, \u0443\u0432\u0430\u0436\u0430<\/span>\u0435\u043c\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0447\u0438\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u0438<\/strong> (dear readers)? If you live in the US, then you probably have two problems to tackle this week. One is what to do with all the empty plastic eggs from the Easter egg hunts. The other one is, of course, \u043d\u0430\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u0438<\/strong> (taxes).<\/p>\n

Have you heard this Russian expression – \u043e\u0442 <\/strong>\u0441\u0443\u043c\u044b<\/span> <\/strong>\u0438 <\/strong>\u043e\u0442 <\/strong>\u0442\u044e\u0440\u044c\u043c\u044b<\/span> <\/strong>\u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u0437\u0430\u0440\u0435\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0439\u0441\u044f<\/strong> (do not swear off either poverty or jail)? It means, of course, that we don\u2019t know \u0447\u0442\u043e <\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u043d\u044c <\/strong>\u0433\u0440\u044f\u0434\u0443<\/span>\u0449\u0438\u0439 <\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u043c <\/strong>\u0433\u043e\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u0438\u0442<\/strong> (what tomorrow has prepared for us).<\/p>\n

At the same time, I bet you are familiar with Benjamin Franklin\u2019s \u043d\u0435\u0438\u0437\u0431\u0435<\/span>\u0436\u043d\u044b <\/strong>\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043a\u043e <\/strong>\u0441\u043c\u0435\u0440\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u0438 <\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u0438<\/strong> (nothing is certain but death and taxes). What do you get when you combine these two great expressions together? \u041f\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u043d\u044b\u0439 <\/strong>\u043c\u0440\u0430\u043a <\/strong>\u0438 <\/strong>\u0443<\/span><\/strong>\u0436\u0430\u0441<\/strong> (total doom and gloom), that\u2019s what!<\/p>\n

I usually \u0442\u044f\u043d\u0443<\/span> <\/strong>\u0434\u043e <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0441\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0434\u043d\u0435\u0433\u043e<\/strong> (wait until the last second) to file my \u043d\u0430\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u043e\u0432\u0430\u044f <\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u043a\u043b\u0430\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0446\u0438\u044f<\/strong> (tax return). But it\u2019s not because paying \u043f\u043e\u0434\u043e\u0445\u043e<\/span>\u0434\u043d\u044b\u0439 <\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0433<\/strong> (income tax) is so painful (I usually set enough money aside through the year for this). No, the real \u0433\u0435\u043c\u043e\u0440\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0439<\/strong> (lit: hemorrhoids; slang: pain in the rear) is the complicated \u043d\u0430\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0435 <\/strong>\u0437\u0430\u043a\u043e\u043d\u043e\u0434\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e<\/strong> (tax law).<\/p>\n

Personally, I find it next to impossible to make it through all the \u043d\u0430\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u043a\u0443\u043c\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0442\u044b<\/strong> the worksheets without feeling like \u043c\u043e\u0437\u0433\u0438<\/span> <\/strong>\u043f\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0432\u044f\u0442\u0441\u044f<\/strong> (my brain is melting). For me, trying to figure out all the \u043d\u0430\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0432\u044b<\/span>\u0447\u0435\u0442\u044b<\/strong> (tax credits) and \u043d\u0430\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u0441\u043a\u0438<\/span>\u0434\u043a\u0438<\/strong> (tax deductions) is the point when \u044f <\/strong>\u0441\u0434\u0430\u044e<\/span>\u0441\u044c<\/strong> (I give up), \u043f\u043e\u0441\u044b\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u044e <\/strong>\u0432\u0441\u0451 <\/strong>\u043a <\/strong>\u0447\u0451<\/span>\u0440\u0442\u0443<\/strong> (tell it all to go to hell) and ring my \u0434\u0438\u043f\u043b\u043e\u043c\u0438<\/span>\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0430\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0439 <\/strong>\u0431\u0443\u0445\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0442\u0435\u0440<\/strong> (certified public accountant).<\/p>\n

I figure that paying for \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0444\u0435\u0441\u0441\u0438\u043e\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0430\u044f <\/strong>\u043f\u043e<\/span>\u043c\u043e\u0449\u044c <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0434\u0433\u043e\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u043a\u0435 <\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0439 <\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u043a\u043b\u0430\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0446\u0438\u0438<\/strong> (professional help in preparing a tax return) is worth the money especially since \u043d\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u0432\u043d\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u043a\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u043a\u0438 <\/strong>\u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u0432\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0442\u0430\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u0432\u043b\u0438\u0432\u0430\u044e\u0442\u0441\u044f<\/strong> (nerve cells do not regenerate). Besides, don\u2019t they say \u043a\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u0430\u0440\u044e <\/strong>\u043a\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u0430\u0440\u0435\u0432\u043e<\/strong> (render onto Caesar the things that are Caesar\u2019s)?<\/p>\n

So while my accountant is \u043a\u043e\u0440\u043f\u0438<\/span>\u0442 <\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u0434 <\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u043e\u0432\u044b\u043c\u0438 <\/strong>\u0444\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u043c\u0430\u043c\u0438<\/strong> (plods away at the tax forms), I have a chance to see what taxes would I pay if I lived in Russia. Turns out, Russia\u2019s \u0424\u0435\u0434\u0435\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0430\u044f <\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u043e\u0432\u0430\u044f <\/strong>\u0441\u043b\u0443<\/span>\u0436\u0431\u0430<\/strong> (Federal Tax Service) has a pretty helpful website<\/a>. They actually have a very nice English-language site<\/a> as well where all the taxes – \u0444\u0435\u0434\u0435\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0435<\/strong> (federal), \u0440\u0435\u0433\u0438\u043e\u043d\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0435<\/strong> (regional) and \u043c\u0443\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0438\u043f\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u044b\u0435<\/strong> (municipal) are listed and explained.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, the way Russian government keeps track of its \u043d\u0430\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u043e\u043f\u043b\u0430\u0442\u0435<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u0449\u0438\u043a\u0438<\/strong> (tax payers) is by requiring them \u0432\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u043d\u0430 <\/strong>\u0443\u0447\u0451<\/span>\u0442 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e <\/strong>\u043c\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u0443 <\/strong>\u0436\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0430<\/strong> (to register domiciliary, according to where they reside) at \u043c\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u043d\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0435 <\/strong>\u043e<\/span><\/strong>\u0440\u0433\u0430\u043d\u044b<\/strong> (local tax authorities). So if you move, even in the same city, you have extra paperwork to complete. And that sounds like a pain.<\/p>\n

Ok, stop reading this post. It\u2019s time to \u0437\u0430\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u0447\u0438\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u0437\u0430\u043f\u043e\u043b\u043d\u044f<\/span>\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u043a\u0443\u043c\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0442\u044b<\/strong> (finish filling out paperwork). I\u2019m \u0441\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u0432\u043b\u044e <\/strong>\u0441\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0443<\/strong> (keeping my fingers crossed) that this year\u2019s tax return \u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u043f\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u0438\u0442 <\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u0441 <\/strong>\u043f\u043e <\/strong>\u043c\u0438<\/span>\u0440\u0443<\/strong> (drain us dry) or \u0432\u044b<\/span>\u0437\u043e\u0432\u0435\u0442 <\/strong>\u0430\u0443\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0441\u043a\u0443\u044e <\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u043a\u0443<\/strong> (triggers a tax audit). \u0427\u0435\u0433\u043e<\/span> \u0438 \u0432\u0430\u043c \u0436\u0435\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u044e!<\/strong> (And wishing you the same!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s on your mind, \u0443\u0432\u0430\u0436\u0430\u0435\u043c\u044b\u0435 \u0447\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0442\u0435\u043b\u0438 (dear readers)? If you live in the US, then you probably have two problems to tackle this week. One is what to do with all the empty plastic eggs from the Easter egg hunts. The other one is, of course, \u043d\u0430\u043b\u043e\u0433\u0438 (taxes). Have you heard this Russian expression –…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1131,117559,117561,1248,117560,111747],"class_list":["post-2660","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-language","tag-learning-russian","tag-paying-taxes","tag-russian-income-tax","tag-russian-language","tag-tax-return","tag-useful-russian-phrases"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2660"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2661,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2660\/revisions\/2661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}