Wednesday 22 April 2009

Paying Stupid Tax

Here’s a quick guide on how to spend heaps of money unnecessarily, it’s easy if you try.

  1. Don’t keep your passport and birth certificate in a secure, easy to remember location.
  2. Move house over a year ago & don’t unpack all your clutter from the boxes in the spare room
  3. Realise you’re going overseas in under 4 weeks and try to locate your passport.
  4. Turn your entire apartment upside down with no luck.
  5. Realise you can’t find your birth certificate to apply for a new passport.
  6. Apply for a new copy of your birth certificate, which requires working from home so you can go into the NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages in person, and get a same day certificate processed. Stupid tax of $63, the cost of an urgent issue of certificate as I needn't have paid this at all if I had put it somewhere safe. Oh and don’t forget the Stupid tax of $13 for parking in the city.
  7. Book in appointment at Post Office for passport interview.
  8. Complete passport application, including getting new passport photos Stupid tax of $9 as my existing passport still has two and half years on it.
  9. Submit passport application. Stupid tax of $208 for the passport itself, and Stupid tax of $78 for priority processing (sent out within two business days + mailing time).
  10. Berate yourself for days on end for being so careless = priceless.

Total Stupid Tax: A$371, or approx 178 GBP.

I've taken the money out of my Trip fund. It’s not an emergency; it’s my own stuff up. Grrrr.

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15 comments:

  1. Wow, that's a lot of money for your passport. I don't think it costs us that much here in the states. I'll actually be following a similar process, but I'm hoping it doesn't cost me as much. I haven't had a valid passport since I was 5 or 6, so the one I have is way expired. Stupid me, I lost my original birth certificate years ago, so now I've got to request a reissue. The problem is that I was born in Germany, my dad was in the military, but not in a military hospital, so I have to go through the Consulate's office for all that and I can't even imagine the headache that's going to be. Once I get that, then I have to go take care of the passport. Since I'm planning a trip next summer, I still have plenty of time, but still, the whole process is a pain!

    Good luck! Sorry you had to fork over the money! :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. oh how annoying!

    hope you have a great trip though :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bummer about having to cough up so much for your passport when it is just lost! I really hope you don't fine it suddenly before you go - that would really do it for me. lol

    ReplyDelete
  4. That sucks, seriously. We had some foibles ourselves when we travelled overseas (visa mishaps, etc.) Staying really organized and being overly prepared is your only insurance for getting through the stressful time. Good luck! I hope the lesson learned will lead to better safeguarding of the docs!
    Jerry
    www.leads4insurance.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous27/5/09 15:33

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    martin.jack0007@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is super expensive!

    ReplyDelete
  7. hi dd, noticed you are back, how was the trip?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous1/8/09 10:25

    Hey DD,
    Not sure if your lack of posting is just busyness or dwindling interest in blogging, or if perhaps you have fallen off the wagon and are sheepish to post the latest Ugly Truth but I can assure you we readers will cheer you on regardless.

    ReplyDelete
  9. A$371 is expensive, relatively to my country. How about keeping them in the bank's safe box? Is it cheap or expensive to keep them in the bank?

    ReplyDelete
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