The IRS wasn't a topic I wanted to cover in this series, but I can't escape it.

Our former Ukrainian guest has to transfer her car to the Dutch registration number. So she had to fill out a form for the declaration of the BPM. But the BPM does not have to pay them, she has exemption for that. But whether she wants to report the BPM. Who doesn't need to be paid. Well, I don't understand why that should be, but anyway, how difficult it can be to fill out a form that ends with: ‘to be paid: EUR 0.00‘.

To file the BPM return, you can find a PDF at the tax authorities. You fill it in. Depending on your choices, all kinds of formulas are performed under the skin, fields are automatically filled in, calculations are done and then a few numbers roll out. Historical Gross BPM, For me most advantageous date, depreciation percentage used (Or something like that, I don't remember exactly. I repressed it, I think.) That's the theory.

All right, when you click on the PDF, it opens in the browser and then you first get a notification about invalid signatures. Then a notification that you need to download the PDF and open it in Acrobat Reader because Otherwise, we can't guarantee that it's going well.. That's fine, I don't have an Acrobat Reader and I don't want one. But don't worry, there are plenty of PDF editors for Linux. But none of those things work... The PDF crashed as soon as you filled in the 2nd field. All right, we'll print that thing out (21 pages!) and fill it in manually. It is a difficult thing because all kinds of things are asked that are nowhere to be found. Not even on the IRS website. However, I found somewhere the message that, if you have exemption from the BPM, you on paper You have to report it. So we finally filled in as much as possible, put the 21 pages in an envelope, stamp on it and leave with it.

But then you will receive a letter back from the tax authorities a week later because not everything has been filled in. Oh yes: the BMW i3 They think it's a BMW. 13 become. I always thought a 7-series was the top... Turns out there's a 13 series! Or was there something wrong with the scan? Whether we are the historical gross etc etc still want to fill in and send. I called the IRS. How do I calculate it? Below verbatim part of the conversation (total time 37 minutes including waiting time)

“That doesn’t work, ma’am, because that thing crashed all the time and those fields are not writable.”

“Then you need to use Windows with Acrobat Reader”

“But I don’t want to, I have a Linux machine and several PDF programs”

“Then I advise you to go to the library, I think there is a computer with Windows”

“I would like to know how to calculate it so that I can fill it in on paper. I do not feel like arranging my tax affairs in the library and apart from that, I doubt that I can download files in the library and use Acrobat Reader.”

I pulled out the windows machine from the bottom of the cabinet, let the thing process two weeks of updates and started the browser. Then look for the download button. And that download button opens the PDF in the browser. And the download button in the PDF disabled; I saw something flashing by about certificates again.

In my screen is the message: Try Acrobat for free to fill in your PDF in the browser. Still clicked out of desperation. If downloading doesn't work, we'll do it in the browser. was my thought.  If I wanted to fill in my credit card details.

Eventually I was able to download the PDF by installing Vivaldi and using it to download the PDF. surprise! Then the PDF did not want to be filled in by the PDF application that I use on Windows. So Acrobat Reader installed. From there it went from a technical point of view. Many fields were filled in automatically, numbers were calculated automatically and dates were suddenly known. Called again about the fact that for hybrid cars the energy sources gasoline + electric could not be checked. I had to choose between the two. If you use gasoline, it's the most expensive. That's always good.

No matter what, there is an exemption so there is no need to pay anyway. Gasoline it is!

All right, the 21 pages are double-sided at 50% printed and placed in an envelope. And sent in. It'll surprise me. What about the moral of the story? It was indeed quite easy on Windows with Acrobat Reader.

That the tax authorities want me to make a calculation to calculate how much I don't have to pay...... Well, they must be doing something useful with that data. They can ask me to fill out a form.

But that they tell me what to fill out that form with, that they won't help me if I use other software that runs against my hair.