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Sucky Tax Department
ARGH I am so frustrated and plain worn out with dealing with this!
In NZ your student loan is held through the Tax department or IRD (Inland revenue department)
when ever you leave the country you have to let them know (if you have a student loan) which I have no problem doing.
every single time I have called and told them I am leaving, every SINGLE FUCKING TIME I have had a witness stand there and watch me talk/pull out my hair/stab my eyes out so I know I have called and reported that I have left.
June 19th I left NZ, June 19th I CALLED the IRD in the morning with both K and my mother present and spent THIRTY minutes on the phone with a woman who spent the majority of the call arguing with me about paying my student loan.
In NZ if you leave the country you are entitled to a "payment holiday" for a period of 3 years. I checked with this woman if the holiday was a one time thing, or if it could be split up and she said it could be split as long as I wasn't gone more than 3 years in total I could STILL have the rest of my holiday.
the conversation went something like this
me: hi Im leaving for Canada today and want to update my IRD file to say that I have reported Im leaving the country so that my student loan payment holiday is reinstated from today
IRD woman: thats fine can I verify your info... ird number, DOB, address blah blah blah
me: I also want to update my mailing address to *insert canadian address*
IRD: can I verify that you want to update your mailing addres to *canadian adress*
me: me yes thats correct. now is this all I need to do, do I need to call a different department and report that I am leaving the country
IRD: no I have updated your file that you are leaving the country and your new adress in canada
me: so I dont have to do anything else
IRD: well you should still make payments on your student loan
me: are the payment mandatory (they are when your working in NZ)
IRD: no they are not but you still should make payments
me: but are the payments mandatory or voluntary
IRD: they will be voluntary until April 2009 when you must pay *blank* a year as a minimum.
me: so I dont HAVE to pay anything until April 09
IRD: you do not have to but you should
me: I know I should but I dont know when I will have a job so right now I wont be
IRD: you can sign up to void the payment holiday
me: but I want the payment holiday, I dont have a job
IRD: but you should make payments
me:
sigh yes I know I should.... but I dont HAVE to make payments do I
IRD: not until april 09
blah blah blah on and on for 30 minutes.
A couple of days ago my mum calls, a letter from IRD has arrived and has a stern letter in it about me NOT REPORTING THAT I HAVE LEFT THE COUNTRY
ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I have spent an HOUR on the phone this morning trying to sort this out because I am NOT paying a fine and I am NOT paying overdue payment interest on payments I was told I DID NOT have to make until April 09!!!
I have two freaking witnesses who were in the room LISTENING to me on the phone!
I have to ring again because after an hour on the phone the agent says "oh so your not a resident anymore I cant do anything for you, you need to call the non resident department to resolve this"
after a FREAKING HOUR
I didn't raise my voice, I didn't say nasty things (I did groan a couple of times and bang my head on the wall) but I stayed polite, I told her my frustration was not personal but I was so unbelievably frustrated and angry that I kept trying to do the right thing and yet I was still being punished over and over again!
the stupid woman I called in June didn't even change the mailing address anyway!!!!!! (I was going to get everything sent to K in Canada while I was settling in England as he was planning on coming over twice a year until I could get a permanent address in England)
of course they wont sent me a letter stating that I have called, they don't have a code or anything to prove that I have called I just have to take the word of the agent.... yeah cos that's worked SO well in the past!
I'm at my wits end, if I could do anything to pay off the loan in full I would but I can't. Im not even legally allowed to work in Canada right now which is good because I have to spend HOURS on the freaking phone to the NZ tax department ANYWAY
*sobs into her pillow*
In NZ your student loan is held through the Tax department or IRD (Inland revenue department)
when ever you leave the country you have to let them know (if you have a student loan) which I have no problem doing.
every single time I have called and told them I am leaving, every SINGLE FUCKING TIME I have had a witness stand there and watch me talk/pull out my hair/stab my eyes out so I know I have called and reported that I have left.
June 19th I left NZ, June 19th I CALLED the IRD in the morning with both K and my mother present and spent THIRTY minutes on the phone with a woman who spent the majority of the call arguing with me about paying my student loan.
In NZ if you leave the country you are entitled to a "payment holiday" for a period of 3 years. I checked with this woman if the holiday was a one time thing, or if it could be split up and she said it could be split as long as I wasn't gone more than 3 years in total I could STILL have the rest of my holiday.
the conversation went something like this
me: hi Im leaving for Canada today and want to update my IRD file to say that I have reported Im leaving the country so that my student loan payment holiday is reinstated from today
IRD woman: thats fine can I verify your info... ird number, DOB, address blah blah blah
me: I also want to update my mailing address to *insert canadian address*
IRD: can I verify that you want to update your mailing addres to *canadian adress*
me: me yes thats correct. now is this all I need to do, do I need to call a different department and report that I am leaving the country
IRD: no I have updated your file that you are leaving the country and your new adress in canada
me: so I dont have to do anything else
IRD: well you should still make payments on your student loan
me: are the payment mandatory (they are when your working in NZ)
IRD: no they are not but you still should make payments
me: but are the payments mandatory or voluntary
IRD: they will be voluntary until April 2009 when you must pay *blank* a year as a minimum.
me: so I dont HAVE to pay anything until April 09
IRD: you do not have to but you should
me: I know I should but I dont know when I will have a job so right now I wont be
IRD: you can sign up to void the payment holiday
me: but I want the payment holiday, I dont have a job
IRD: but you should make payments
me:
sigh yes I know I should.... but I dont HAVE to make payments do IIRD: not until april 09
blah blah blah on and on for 30 minutes.
A couple of days ago my mum calls, a letter from IRD has arrived and has a stern letter in it about me NOT REPORTING THAT I HAVE LEFT THE COUNTRY
ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I have spent an HOUR on the phone this morning trying to sort this out because I am NOT paying a fine and I am NOT paying overdue payment interest on payments I was told I DID NOT have to make until April 09!!!
I have two freaking witnesses who were in the room LISTENING to me on the phone!
I have to ring again because after an hour on the phone the agent says "oh so your not a resident anymore I cant do anything for you, you need to call the non resident department to resolve this"
after a FREAKING HOUR
I didn't raise my voice, I didn't say nasty things (I did groan a couple of times and bang my head on the wall) but I stayed polite, I told her my frustration was not personal but I was so unbelievably frustrated and angry that I kept trying to do the right thing and yet I was still being punished over and over again!
the stupid woman I called in June didn't even change the mailing address anyway!!!!!! (I was going to get everything sent to K in Canada while I was settling in England as he was planning on coming over twice a year until I could get a permanent address in England)
of course they wont sent me a letter stating that I have called, they don't have a code or anything to prove that I have called I just have to take the word of the agent.... yeah cos that's worked SO well in the past!
I'm at my wits end, if I could do anything to pay off the loan in full I would but I can't. Im not even legally allowed to work in Canada right now which is good because I have to spend HOURS on the freaking phone to the NZ tax department ANYWAY
*sobs into her pillow*
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