After a week of messing with all the relocation details and almost no real work -I have made some progress. Unfortunately, it's one step forward and two steps back.
House Contract - Yeah! We got the final signed contract for the house and all looks good.
Residence Permit for Customs Declaration - Ouch! There's no way around it; they need the residence permit to process our stuff through customs. Now, remember that the immigration lawyer had told us that we have to apply for the residence permit in-person in the town where we are going to live. But it can take a few months to process and we can't get our stuff through customs until we have it. I sent some desperate sounding emails and the lawyer finally came up with a new plan. Apparently, he can apply for a temporary residence permit for us before we arrive. I don't know how long it will take, but at least it's a head start. So, after a week of teeth gnashing, I finally think we'll get our stuff in a reasonable amount of time. Mark my words, they may come back to haunt me! But here's what I don't get: how is it that in a multinational company with relocation experts and immigration lawyers nobody knew this was going to be an issue? Isn't that their job?
Taxes and Husband's Job - Massive confusion! The people at Ernst and Young and Price Waterhouse Coopers (yes, we will be working with both companies simultaneously) don't seem to want to help us with my man's situation. Of course, they are paid by my company and are only focused on filing my taxes. Once we asked a few questions about how his job would affect the taxes, they pretty much shut down. Now they aren't even returning our emails.
What really bothers me about this is the whole old-fashioned sexist notion that an ex-pat is a man with a wife who doesn't work and a couple kids who attend international school. Too bad for you if you don't fit that stereotype. This is really the first time I've been confronted with this kind of institutional sexism and it makes me mad. I thought we were past this crap.
The upshot is that we now have an appointment with a company that does tax planning specifically for Americans in the Netherlands. We will have to pay for the advice, but I think we'll get some better information on how to avoid excessive taxation. Again, mark my words, I might have to eat them later!
For those of you who are getting bored with all the relocation complaints, rest assured there is a light at the end of this tunnel. I have an airline ticket for April 8 and it's one-way!
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