I think the moment I officially realized I was an adult was when I had to fill in my first tax declaration. Until then, adulthood had mostly meant more freedom, making my own decisions, and being responsible for my own schedule. Taxes were different. Suddenly, I was faced with forms, numbers, deadlines, and terminology that seemed to assume I already knew exactly what I was doing.
What surprised me most was that nobody had ever really taught me how to handle it. We spend years at school and university learning all kinds of useful and interesting things, but basic practical skills such as filing taxes are often left out. Of course, people who study accounting or finance may have an advantage, but for everyone else it can feel like being handed a test without ever having attended the class.
In the end, I managed to complete it, although not without a lot of searching, checking, and second-guessing. It was not the most exciting milestone, but it was definitely a memorable one. Nothing says “welcome to adulthood” quite like realizing that paperwork, deadlines, and taxes are now officially your responsibility. Unfortunately, there is no graduation ceremony when you finally submit it.
You’re right, no one teaches us how to file a tax declaration at school. Luckily, I had the help of my dad, who, in later years, asked me to help him check his, too. And it used to be really complicated, at the time, ,..no computer, just a calculator.
Well, the good thing about having to do fill in your tax declaration manually years ago, was that tax inspectors too had to check it manually. Digitalization was supposed to make everything easier, but I see that they just increased the volume of posts you have to declare. And when you make a mistake or omit something, you get a rebuke from the system who already knows everything better than you do. So what’s in fact the point of sweathing a whole day long to do this yearly exercise. Big Brother is everywhere right know and knows exactly how many properties and accounts you have, where they’re located (even the ones abroad), and what and how much income you reveive. So, what’s the point of sweating a whole day over this yearly exercise? To me it seems that they’re just waiting till you make a mistake so that they can fine you with a 10% tax increase.
I completely agree, it’s so frustrating!
It feels less like an administrative duty and more like a yearly test designed to catch us out.
Total waste of energy.