Dear All,

hope you all are doing fine. Today I would like to share my dishearten experience with finanzamt, what happend yesterday. I have been never in finanzamt before, always my tax lawyer is sending my tax declaration. This year, I wanted to give the tax declaration papers personally as I had some thing to do close by the finanzamt. So my lawyer gave me all the papers and I went to finanzamt just to hand over. So I took a number, waited for 1 hour then called by a lady. I gave my hand for shaking, that lady did not shake hand and told me, in finanzamt they don't shake hand. Anyway I felt insulted. I payed 11000 euro tax in 2007 and was insulted. what do you think about this?

Regards-
ASM

>>I gave my hand for shaking, that lady did not shake hand and told me, in finanzamt they don't shake hand.

Sorry it is not an insult. No one shakes hands in government offices.

>> I payed 11000 euro tax in 2007 and was insulted

Does it mean then if some one paid 20,000 tax should be treated to a 3 course meal??

Dear ASM,

do not worry! I am German and I am a very polite man. I visited my Finanzamt many times in my life and as far as I remember I never shook a hand.

I say 'Guten Tag' when I enter an office and I say 'Aufwiedersehen' when I leave it. So I think this is quite common.

On the other hand.. if I would offer my hand for shaking and the other person would not take it, I would also be upset.

This person must be very stupid, so be happy that you did not touch this person ;-) because of possible viruses!

If you want to make really somtehing out of it you can file a case against that person! We have an 'Anti Diskriminierungs Gesetz' which should protect people with another nationality than German.

I would not recommend it but it is your decision.

Have a nice weekend, all of you!

Detlef

In offices, no one shakes hand, and it's not a "Finanzamt" thing. You go, take a sit when you're asked to and that's it. I don't know if they do that in your country of origin, but even in mine, it isn't the case.

Have you ever gone to ABH and got an handshake? then the officer there was kinda special.

And as my mom taught me, and I found it to be an etiquette in the many countries I've travelled for business purposes, never give hand first when you're invited somewhere, give it back only if it was given to you first.

D.

Dear Raj, Detlef, NoBody,

Thanks for your emails. Now I feel better.
From now, I will also follow as Nobody's mom taught him. @NoBody, Thanks and my respectful thanks to your mom.

Have a nice weekend.
Regards-
ASM

@ASM

I gave my hand for shaking, that lady did not shake hand and told me, in finanzamt they don't shake hand.

...so that if they discover your Lichtenstein connection they wouldn't feel guilty sending you behind the bars :-)