Why doesn't the Govt make it easier for the average schmoe to sell their services?

[dkf]

All the tax laws and regulations make it so difficult to just post your ad for weeding services or babysitting or any number of pretty danged easily sellable services within a community. Isn't this the reason we have to go to corporations for jobs?

[rgbecker]

1. I'm interested in what tax laws and regulations make it so difficult.

I've been selling my services for carpentry and auto repair for 35 years and have found nothing that an eighth grade education couldn't overcome in terms of "Tax laws and regulations." I suppose if there were something, I might be able to find someone to help me out. You might consider SCORE if you are thinking of something more involved that might involved employees etc. Look for a local office: http://www.score.org/index.html

[dkf]

3. I was thinking wouldn't it be easy if a person could simply report earnings at a governmen site

And get a one stop calculation of all tax related items and get all your licensing done? Why do we even need to research anything?

[Luminous Animal]

11. You don't need a federal license to start a weeding business.

You would be licensed by your state and each state has a different criteria and process.

Are you advocating that the feds take over the business of the states?

[fasttense]

4. Well, right off the bat, if you are self employed, you have to pay double Social Security tax. n/t

[Luminous Animal]

10. And half of that is deducted from your taxable income.

[fasttense]

2. In TN it is illegal to wash (and sell) an egg in a house with a goldfish.

TN Agriculture also requires everyone who cans pickles and jellies to do it in a certified kitchen which most people can't afford. The certification process is so complex and expensive that the average farmer can't sell their homemade products, even products that are deemed to be fairly safe when canned.

It is illegal to sell raw milk in TN too.

You can't even give out free samples of freshly cut tomatoes or watermelons if they were NOT cut and packaged in a certified kitchen.

I had to convince an inspector that my grape tomatoes were NOT processed (just washed) so that I could give out free samples.

Then there was a big to do about putting different kinds of baby leaf salad items in the same bag. They considered it processed and had to be done in a certified kitchen.

What most people do is build or buy a separate house/trailer/shed with refrigerator and sink (stove if you want to cook) in order to get certified.

It is all done to keep out competition from small vendors.

The inspector told us that only 1% of all imported processed foods were inspected, yet 100% of all local foods have to be inspected if you want to sell the product legally. This from a state that was/is notorious for moonshine.

[dkf]

5. How does anyone have a bake sale nowadays?

[jwirr]

6. Hmmm. I don't think I would want to buy homemade items without

some over site. I want to be able to know that they are at the very least clean. My father was a butcher. His clients watched him process their food. They knew what they were getting but when I buy a homemade food that I have not watched being made then I could be eating anything - rat droppings or anything. Sorry I don't want this kind of freedom.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

7. Well duh!

The so-called rules to supposedly protect us from big corporations are so burdensome only big corporations can afford to meet the requirements.

So the little guys get choked out forcing you to buy from the corporations.

You better believe that when these rules were being written the legislators were "consulting with industry leaders"...who also happened to be contributers/lobbyists/golfing buddies.

It all goes to creating a de facto monopoly.

Kind of like HCR.

They create the rules, standardize the services, set the prices and no one else can start any real competition against them so We The People are locked into buying only from them.

[OhioChick]

8. Well said n/t

[Luminous Animal]

9. I help people start up businesses on a regular basis. It is not that difficult.

What tax laws and regulations are making it difficult for you to start a weeding service?

[cbdo2007]

12. Contact your local Small Business Administration office. They'll make it easy for you.

by telling you everything you need to do and fill out and everything. They even offer you free classes to teach you everything.

All of this is done by the govt and it is all FREE (except we're all paying for it with our taxes).

[MineralMan]

13. How do they do make it hard. I've started at least 10 businesses

in my life. Only two required any paperwork at all, and that was only because the state wanted me to pay sales tax. The rest were handled with nothing more than simple bookkeeping and getting paid in my own name. I never had any problem with any government agency with any of those businesses. My sales tax return got audited once, because they didn't believe I hadn't sold more inside my state than I had. A nice man came to my office, looked over my records, then told me I should refile to get a refund of about $25. I told him that it wasn't worth the time required to refile. We had a cup of coffee, then he left.

I've always paid the taxes I owe and almost always missed a few deductions I could have taken. It all worked out very well, with a minimum of paperwork and a minimum of hassle.

One of the first tricks, it turns out, is to always do business in your own name and operate without employees. When you create a business name or hire someone, you create paperwork. If you don't the Schedule C is your friend.

[CreekDog]

14. what laws are you referring to?

i think you just heard something hearsay and assumed it was all true.

but if you really want child care completely unregulated, we'd love to hear all about it.

[NuclearDem]

15. Well, some regulations exist to ensure people are qualified to do the job

I wouldn't want someone I didn't know without any credentials to watch my kids, fix my car, or take care of my lawn.