Squinting over bank statements, trying to make sense of receipts, downloading emailed invoices, and digging into past tax records, has been beyond taxing, to say the least!
I am the worst record keeper of financials, love running Lily's Cottage, but the part I absolutely detest, is doing the books. That department has been grossly neglected for the past couple of years, so of course tax returns have become a nightmare!
Nothing is certain except death and taxes - Benjamin Franklin, 1789.
Another sure thing is there's no escaping the tentacles of the taxman desperately bleeding the departed, one last time!
Hubby's final taxes are being done by the attorneys, but I had to dig up whatever numbers I could find for the last couple of months of his life. We for sure want to claim as much as we can. We have paid taxes all our lives, and would not feel so resentful if our government was not using our hard-earned money to line their own pockets, and only leaving the crumbs for service delivery!
The BnB now is my sole responsibility, and I was contemplating flying under the radar, but had nightmares of making headline news -
Septuagenarian arrested for tax evasion!
My very good friend has been a lifesaver, she's been number-crunching all her working life, whereas I was in the technical field.
She adjusted my spreadsheets to make more sense, instructed me to lock myself in my office once a month and capture income and expenses, and introduced me to a super-efficient tax practitioner. 2024 is done and dusted, but the greedy taxman has informed me that I'm now a provisional taxpayer. Not a bad thing though, will keep me on my toes, so I don't end up with a nightmare once a year.
Fraudsters
It's been a difficult week, not only because of taxes.
Another sure thing is fraudsters, especially here in SA, sad to say!
Someone fraudulently opened a South African bank account in my son's name. He now lives in the Netherlands and asked me to call the bank in question! Fortunately, that account was stopped before the fraudster even picked up the card. Some banks have self-service booths to make it easier for their clients, but of course easier for fraudsters as well!
An Unexpected Welcome Gift
On the upside, Dean had a nice surprise this week. He joined a fishing club near their new home. Turns out he was the 1000th member to join; the club contacted him this week, and he was treated to a new rod. flowers for Andi, vouchers, and a tour of some of the good fishing spots, and he made it into the Zevenaars Nieuwsblad;)
Unsettling Would-be Guests
I had a very unsettling online booking; Truecaller told me the would-be guest works at a bank. He called numerous times asking if I received payment and if he could have visitors. A definite NO from me, and a reminder that he would need to present his ID and the card at check-in.
I offered free cancellation if he preferred to book larger accommodation, but advised I could only reverse the card payment after he confirmed the cancellation. He requested cancellation but did not respond to the booking site, so the booking remained valid, and I couldn't reverse the payment!
I may be wrong, but was he using a bank client's card? If I had made a payment from my account, I for sure would have wanted the money to go back into my account!
I have been in touch with the bank and booking site, so am waiting for feedback!
A Quickie before Midday Prayers!
A couple of days later, a car stopped at the gate, my staff opened it, thinking it was a new guest.
A man stepped out, fully dressed to go for midday prayers, but asked if he could book an hour!
Everyone in the BnB business knows what a one-hour booking request means!
He was not impressed when I told him we do not accept hourly guests, and quoted an inflated rate for a minimum stay of two nights!
He was in a hurry, it already was 11 am, and asked where the nearest BnB is! I told him there was a lodge in a suburb not too far from us.
We'll have to be more careful before opening the gate, and not assume it's a new guest!
A Sad Goodbye
The week ended on an awfully sad note with the memorial of my friend's husband. Their three children all said their goodbyes, as did my friend. There wasn't a dry eye in that church, a beautiful family lost a husband and father way too early!
I was crying not just for them, but also for myself, and for other friends who lost their darling men last year.
Life just ain't fair!
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