Zac wrote: Jon, I did not spent much time with the links, that's why they looked a bit messy ;-). Again you misunderstood, I did not complain about waste of time reading or writing emails, I complained about the content of your mail which is an affront to common sense of the reader. Unfortunately you still did not understand the definitions of words 'gift' and 'trade', otherwise you would not have stated this:

Maybe your boss buys you lunch. Its a gift to you for doing a good job. If your boss pays your lunch, than per definition this is not a gift. You call this a gratification or award or bonus for good performance or whatever but not a gift. I am sure tax authorities regard it that way as well.

If I'd be your boss I would have the strong fear that in addition you'd not know the borderline between gift and bribe too. After all there is only one thing about you that would surprise me, which is you not having the last word. =================================== My response: Have you ever heard of a Thesaurus. Look up "gift" Gift can also mean: handout, donation, offering, bestowal, bonus, award, endowment; tip, gratuity; largesse; informal freebie, perk; formal benefaction You also misused the word "gratification". If your boss is trying to "gratify" you then you may have grounds for a lawsuit. :) Maybe you meant "gratuity." But as you see the Thesaurus tells us "gratuity" can also mean "gift". Have a nice day Zac