Update: I paid the 1st installment of 44,100yen a few weeks ago and I received an updated bill in the mail today. My 2nd, 3rd, and 4th installments are 3,700yen, 3,000yen, and 3,000yen respectively – so my total residence tax bill has been reduced to 53,800yen (from 206,100yen). Phew! What a relief.
Previous post here.
I'm posting this as a reference for anyone who experience this in the future. Everything's been resolved (I think).
I left JET last year in July and started working part-time on a valid visa. As a part-time employee, I filed my own taxes this year (including the income I made as a JET from January to July 2023).
When I was filing my taxes, I noticed that the BoE sent me two different 源泉徴収票 – one that had a total income of 2,025,000円 listed and one that had a total income of 2,100,000円 listed. I emailed them to ask which one is correct, and they told me the 1st one (2,025,000円) is correct. I said thank you, I will use the 1st one (2,025,000円) when I file my taxes this year.
I filed my taxes online in February and everything went smoothly.
Yesterday, I got my residence tax bill in the mail (residence tax for this year, which is calculated based on last year's income). It was over 200,000円 (much higher than all of my previous years) and the numbers on the report didn't make sense, so I went in to the city tax office today.
Lo and behold, the BoE had filed taxes on my behalf (which I don't think they were supposed to because I don't work there anymore) using the 2nd 源泉徴収票 that had 2,100,000円 listed. The tax office thought I made a total of 4,125,000+円 because the numbers on my tax filing and the numbers on the BoE's tax filing didn't match, and they assumed I made the incomes separately.
After thirty minutes of sitting in the tax office (they were calling the BoE and sorting things out for me), the tax office told me the BoE confirmed the 1st 源泉徴収票 is indeed correct, BoE was not right to file that I made 2,100,000円, and that my residence tax bill will be recalculated based on a total income of 2,025,000円 (+how much I made from part-time work). However, I still need to pay the first installment because the recalculation won't be done in time.
I knew that my BoE was more or less incompetent when it comes to paperwork and communication, but I've never been so disappointed in them as I am now. For anyone who experience something similar – if you get slapped with an unusually high residence tax bill, make sure you go to the tax office to double check!!!!
by Downtown_Amoeba_8252