Tax office rejects employee's work lunch deductions and claims they can drive home to make lunch, so the employee claims a larger deduction for mileage to and from work: ‘"Very well played..."’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Jan 15, 2026 7:00 PM EST

Tax season gets under all of our skins… There's something about money, the absence of it, and realizing how much money is taken out of our paychecks per year for miscellaneous reasons that has the potential to turn us all into crazy people. I'm not sure about you, but I struggle to open my banking app, let alone do my taxes. There are some things certain people just shouldn't see… I'm just a girl!

If you didn't know, there are plenty of loopholes that rich people use to somehow make more money off of spending more money, and that's usually due to write-offs and deductions on their taxable income for a number of reasons. They say that rich people stay rich because they know how to keep their money, and this is just one way of doing it.

Even still, deductions are only a wealthy person's thing. Anyone can receive deductions on their taxes, which results in fewer taxes being taken out of their income because their taxable income grows smaller. I know, I know. I'm probably explaining this more than poorly. Oh well, on with the program!

The employee who shares the story below explains that they were wrestling with a tax office over office lunch deductions. This tax office failed to provide them with the deduction because, in their eyes, the employee could've simply gone home and made lunch for themselves instead of grabbing lunch outside. There is one issue with this logic… and the employee hits the nail right on the head.

For a tax office, they sure didn't think this through. If the employee drives to and from work for lunch, then their mileage increases. Which means: more money spent. Which means: more deductions. Don't you just love when the universe straight-up refuses to let you down? I have yet to experience the same stroke of luck, but stories like these sure give me hope that the universe is on the little guy's side sometimes. Scroll to read the full story.

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  • photo of tax forms with a photo of a man crossing his arms and smiling overlayed
    via Vitaly Gariev for Unsplash

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • "Tax office won't accept my tax deduction: I claim even more deduction on the same basis used to deny it"

    Disclaimer: TL;DR at the end; english is not my first language so sorry for spelling and random mistakes.
    via LordNite
  • In Switzerland each and every tax filing is verified by a tax assessor which can accepts, modify or refuse the deductions you claim.
    via LordNite
  • If you don't agree, you can appeal the decision and another office will look into it.
    via LordNite
  • Two of the deductions we have are lunches away form home (you can claim it when you don't have enough time to get back home for lunch break) and mileage deduction.
    via LordNite
  • We are allowed to deduct from gross income CHF 15.- (USD 19.-) for every meal away from home and 0.60 CHF per Km (1,21 USD per mile) we drive to get and get back from workplace.
    via LordNite
  • A little flashback: in 2020 and 2021 I had to file 2 appeals 'cause my tax assessor of the time made a real mess.
    via LordNite
  • Given that appeals are not so frequent, in 2021 I was audited by Tax Office. After 6 months of back and forth, the auditor agreed that I was completely right and his colleague was to blame for the macroscopic errors he made (with a smile on my face I even asked to the auditor if it wouldn't be more useful to audit his colleagues instead of me; he laughed and replied "I can't answer that question").
    via LordNite
  • In the following years I even called him a couple of times to get some clarification so we established maybe not a friendship but some real mutual respect.
    via LordNite
  • Fast forward to 2025, I filed my 2024 taxes claiming both deductions for 200 working days 'cause, even if my office is just 15Km (9.3 miles) from home, I don't have the time to get back for lunch.
    via LordNite
  • The deductions in my tax filing were: * Lunch deduction: 15 CHF x 200 days = 3'000.- CHF * Mileage deduction: 0.6 CHF x 15 Km x 2 trips per day x 200 working days = 3'600.- CHF * Total deductions: 6'600.- CHF After a couple of months I received in the mail the tax assessment and, among other things, the tax assessor refused lunch deduction 'cause, in his opinion, I had enough time to go home for lunch.
    via LordNite
  • a pile of paper tax forms with a person's hand on top of them
    via Ahmet Kurt For Unsplash+

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I appealed the decision and.... here it comes the malicious compliance. They refused the lunch deduction 'cause, they stated, I had enough time to go home for lunch?
    via LordNite
  • Perfect so, instead of 1 round trip per day, I claimed mileage deduction for 2 round trips per day which means: CHF 0.6 x 15 Km x 4 trips per day x 200 working days = 7'200.- CHF which are 600.- CHF more than what I claimed in the tax filing.
    via LordNite
  • A month later I got a call from the very same tax auditor that audited me in 2021.
    via LordNite
  • After a few pleasantries the call went something like this. "Look, Lordnite, you know I'm calling 'cause of your last appeal.
    via LordNite
  • I have to side with my colleague: given the distance we can't accept your lunch deductions.
    via LordNite
  • However, I also have to admit that, if you have to go back and forth twice, you are entitled to claim more mileage deduction.
    via LordNite
  • Very well played..." I could see the smile on his face and a week later I received the new tax bill.
    via LordNite
  • The taxable income was 600.- CHF (750 USD) lower and they even had to bare the cost of managing my
    via LordNite
  • TL;DR: Tax Office didn't accept my tax deduction for lunches away from home stating I have enough time to go home. for lunch; I appeal it and claimed that, if I have to go home for lunch, than I'm entitled to double mileage deduction which is more than lunch deduction.
    via LordNite

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Tags

malicious compliance taxes petty revenge justice served karma
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