Eurovision Song Contest

I’m wondering if I’ll be the only one in England watching the Eurovision Song Contest tonight.

Two years ago I missed it as it wasn’t advertised very much over here. I took it very hard. Still this day it is hard to think that 2005 is like a blank Eurovision Song Contest year for me.

As a true Swede I have bought crisp (crisps in Sweden is not a meal it’s a snack we eat when we watch something great on TV), dip and coca cola. I will have a mini festival fest tonight on my own.

In Sweden we have quarterfinals as one evening with great songs and entertaining is not enough. We love Eurovision Song Contest. If you are a child this is the type of program your parents would allowed you to stay up late and watch.
There is a Swedish (gay) man that knows all the songs from all the Eurovision Song Contest. If you say a country and a year he will start singing the song. How cool is that?!

GO SWEDEN!

Tax

Kurt Andersson receives his tax form. The nice Swedish tax people have already filled in the form for him. His name, address, salaries, tax he paid, his sold properties or Picasso paintings etc. Everything has been filled in for him. Kurt only needs to double-check the figures and sign the form.
If this were 1970 Kurt would have to signed the form and post it. But since this is 2007 Kurt can “sign” it via Internet or even send a SMS. Ta da!

Curt Smith on the other hand, he lives in England and the mean British tax people haven’t sent him a form but more like a book. All the pages are blank. Not even his name or address is filled in. There is another book to explain how to fill in the tax form/book but it’s too complicated to read and only mean tax people would understand it. Maybe that is why they give you the form almost a year before you have to send it back to them, so you will have time fill it in.

Not everyone in U.K needs to fill in a tax form. My born and bred English boyfriend doesn’t. But me of course I’m one of the lucky ones that get the pleasure of filling in these forms. There is absolutely no way I could do it with out professional help.

Last year I owed £1 in tax. 4 different letters was sent to me over a period of time telling me this. The postage cost on its own was more then £1 and if you add the cost for the paper and the mean tax people’s salary you will be way over £1.
They asked me to send them a £1 cheque. Of course!

In Sweden if you owe anything under £8 they write it off because of above reasons. It makes sense doesn’t it?

Tax means sausage dog in Swedish.