I'm Not Very Stimulated

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

Somehow I have been unemployed since 2007 yet STILL manage to owe the government $200 in taxes. Okay I know it is my punishment for living on the dole for all of last year, but hey I would have gladly taken a job if there were any. So if December comes around and we are still in a recession you can blame the government for taking my money instead of letting me stimulate the economy by buying the DS9 box set.

 

[Mr. B]

Well, a lot of government benefits are taxable income.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Yeah, it's a little weird that unemployment is taxable....

 

[Brent]

How can you survive since 2007 without a job?

 

[Plecostomus]

How can you survive since 2007 without a job?

Unemployment, assistance programs, help from friends and family...

It's possible but not much fun. Heck I went nuts being out of work 3 months and pounced on the first part-time job that came my way.

 

[SmoothieX]

Somehow I have been unemployed since 2007 yet STILL manage to owe the government $200 in taxes.

I owe $1100 this year. The W-2 form is really misleading. It sucks but oh well gotta learn your lesson somehow.

Unemployment benefits are taxable. How have you structured your withholdings for it?

 

[Alpha Romeo]

Yeah, it's a little weird that unemployment is taxable....

No it isn't. It's INCOME.

 

[RJDiogenes]

So what? If they don't want you to have all of it, they should just reduce the payments; it would save a lot of trouble and expense.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

How can you survive since 2007 without a job?

Lived at home for awhile, depleted my savings, went on unemployment, have a very generous girlfriend, scrounged for jobs here and there. Yes, it's possible, but not recommended.

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

Yeah, it's a little weird that unemployment is taxable....

No it isn't. It's INCOME.

I do think it is a little weird. It seems like there is a middle man that should be cut out of here somewhere. I contribute to the fund, so they can give it to me, so I can send it back to them.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ Exactly. It's a waste of time, manpower and paperwork. And, inevitably, people get stuck with a tax bill that they are underprepared for.

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

Yeah, it's a little weird that unemployment is taxable....

No it isn't. It's INCOME.

I dunno i do think it's a bit odd that (pulling random numbers here), the government would pay you $200, then demand $50 back, when they could save everybody the trouble, processing, manpower, postage, all associated costs by just paying you $150 to begin with. Not to mention the psychological aspect of having to 'pay' when you're on unemployment to begin with.

 

[Holdfast]

^ Governments can't lower unemployment payments like that, because they then get called evil bastards, even if the net effect is cost-neutral to the recipient. Besides, government departments have vested interests in increasing their workloads, not reducing it. So simplifying systems rarely happens. On the rare occasions that departments are merged to "cut costs", all that happens is that all the staff stay on and an extra layer of management is hired to coordinate between the two halves.

(everything I need to know about life, I learned from Yes, Minister...)