There is a week to go to the end of the tax year in Croatia. I filled the tax form this morning and walked to the nearest post office as soon as I was finished. The form will be with the tax authorities in Pazin well before the due date. Phew! Filling the form was quite an ordeal, too. Ever since the Croatian government decided to tax people with foreign pensions, like me, I have been struggling with the mind-boggling system. It took me quite a while to figure out what was expected of me. Although I am on top of things by now, the tax form still drives me crazy each and every time I have to fill it. Which is why I used the box for personal comments at the end of the form to vent my frustration this time around. “I’ve spent much of my life in America, Slovenia, and Britain,” I wrote, “but I’ve never had to fill a form as confusing as this one.” And then I rammed it in: “Congratulations to Croatian bureaucracy!” I am fully aware that this is utterly useless, and perhaps even foolish, but I could not control my urge to relieve myself. I can imagine the bureaucrats in Pazin laughing their heads off on account of my heartfelt comment.