OFFICIALLY DEAD.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20612, 30 July 1932, Page 14

OFFICIALLY DEAD.

DEPARTMENT'S ERROR. WELL-KNOWN BUSINESSMAN THE VICTIM. ; V To be "officially dead" is tho annoying position in which one well-known Groymouth and Christchurch businessman finds himself, and try as ho will he cannot make tho Income Tax De'partnient appreciate tho fact that he is still very much alive and is, as he has been for well over 30 years, a regular contributor to income tax revenue. About 12 months ago, in spite of tho fact that tho business man has a rather uncommon name, ho received notice from tho Income Tax Department addressed to his estate and announcing officially that ho was dead, as far as the Department was concerned. The principal complaint was that "tho deceased's estate" had not furnished a return for the year. "Deceased" being* still very much alive was indignant and told the Department so in a letter which also explained that the man referred to had sent in returns long before. That protest did not draw a reply, but three months later the Department sent another letter, again addressed to "the estate of" and saying that as no return had been made as requested it had been assessed at £IOO approximately. Again a reply was sent explaining that there was no such thing as tlie "estate of Mr So-and-So" as mentioned, but that Mr So-and-So was alive and had furnished returns and paid income tax on £BOO approximately ! A further period passed, and then a receipt for tho money paid as tax on about £BOO by the gentleman concerned was received at. his address. It was addressed to Miss .So-and-So instead of Mister. i Officially dead, though alive, with his estate being pressed for a return by tlio Department, and with his receipts being returned addressed to an unknown woman namesake the man was vcrv perturbed. He made one more appeal to tho Department to acknowledge that he was not dead To this dav tho Department has not ndmitted the fact, and to add insult to injury, another letter from the Department lias been received claiming tax from "the estate of the late Mr So-and-So' on 150 acres ol land allegedly sold. llo ( lias not sold the land.