bariboy

Whether it's a good idea to be open about your job search depends on what kind of person your boss is and what kind of relationship you have with them. It may be a good or a bad idea depending on circumstances.   Certainly, and without any need to know your colleague, your company, nor the boss, welcoming your new boss by telling them "I hate this company" has nothing to do with transparency - it's just an act of sheer stupidity. You may have valid reasons to dislike the company - the moment you express them like that, your reasons count nothing. Is it so hard to stay professional? No wonder the boss wasn't angry...they were happy to see him off!

Hi all, I'm new to the forum and desperately in need of help.   Will try to make a long story short. I'm a freelancer and I moved to Germany last January. Up until April my only client was based in England, therefore I invoiced no VAT - I started invoicing & returning it (through Elster) since May on. About 10 days ago I got a letter from the Finanzamt demanding payment of VAT for the timeframe Jan-Apr. They calculated a rounded-up average of my monthly earnings and asked me pay the relevant VAT based on the assumption that I had received it but failed to return it.   Unfortunately I didn't feel confident enough to go to the Finanzamt and clarify the misunderstanding in my pigeon German, so I resorted to a tax advisor. The company was recommended by a couple of folk I know, who were already their clients, had had the same problem with the Finanzamt and got it sorted free of charge, out of courtesy. Basically, I thought it would be relatively cheap - the hourly fee was about 30 € and they just had to send a fax.   The good news is that the Finanzamt acknowledged their request was unjustified. The bad news is that two days ago I got a copy of the fax they sent to the Finanzamt alongside with the bill. I was gobsmacked to find out that single fax + 20 minutes' talk cost me 900 €! Early this morning I went to the Verbraucherzentrale and was told they don't do bills (I wonder what they do then...) and I should talk to a lawyer, which obviously makes no sense as a lawyer would cost me just about the money they'd save me, if not more.   I honestly feel that I'm a victim of fraud and just can't believe that a tax advisor can get away with that in Germany. Does any of you know if there's any action can be taken to object to the payment without consulting a lawyer? Something like a Citizens' Advice Bureau, for example?