Which tax?

If you tell anyone in Britain that you’ve just been to see a tax consultant, most people would be surprised. You see, in Britain, most people don’t need help in filling out their tax returns. In fact, most people don’t ever need to fill out one. You earn your money; you pay your taxes. End of story. Maybe it has something to do with having a Monarchy.

Of course nobody likes paying taxes, but we also know the government doesn’t like giving back any money once it’s got its grubby little hands on it. As the Inland Revenue states on its official web site, tax returns are not normally even given to people who are paid salaries, since the government just assumes that the correct amount of tax is being deducted at source anyway. Tax returns are therefore only necessary for the self-employed, the rich and people with complex tax affairs, such as company directors. It’s hard to argue with that.

Not so in Germany. Here, you are advised, encouraged and almost forced to fill out a tax return. Why? Some might say it has something to do with the number of independent tax consultants. Others would protest that the government has made such complicated tax laws that the country needs even more of them. Learn some tax vocabulary in our exercise.

Deborah Capras