Government Forms Made to Confuse

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Pic: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

Taxes. When you are doing your 2021 taxes, the box that says OWING, is as clear as falling snow. You owe the government money.

Although it’s bad news to owe somebody that rich, the box is plain English, not like most government forms. English is circumstantial. There’s legal, banking, stock market, sports, divorce, street and government English, to mention but a few.

Government forms use English from legislation and other parliamentary decisions. It also has accounting English. On top of that, people without a high school certificate are in trouble, because government assumes they know what gross and net income is. You are expected to know what estimate, liability or audit mean.

Government forms prefer to say ‘sale of principal residence’ instead of saying money you got when you sold your home. Worse still, ordinary people don’t have a cottage in Ontario and a condo in Florida. They have one home.

It is possible to make government forms user-friendly. The OWING box is a good example of simplicity. Another one is when the government tells you it over paid you. It doesn't mince words: you must pay up.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang. 

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