[newarts]

Originally posted by seacapt
Basically extended benefits have ruined a man who was previously known for being a great employee.

It happens with the employed as well. Give an employee nothing to do for a while and before long that's all that he/she expects to do.

Human nature is what it is and our society not-so-subtly rewards gaming the rules for selfish ends; how can we expect different behavior from each other if we continue to reward and honor selfishness?

An infrastructure exists that could be used to track economic activity and tax it as appropriate - credit/debit cards. Ban cash & track credit/debit exchange....levy taxes on the fly for wealth redistribution to support the general welfare.

[jeffkrol]

BTW Whenever I hire day labor I pay them very well for what they do . I as the business owner have to pay insurance , advertise , set up jobs , order and pay for parts and materials , supply tools etc. etc. etc. It's called overhead and when this individual told me that he was doing the work while I was making the money (I was working right next to him most of the time) it fealt like I got kicked in the balls!

Look I understand your frustration, and don't believe what he was trying to do is right..problems is people are trying to survive in a corporate caused bad economy..
now a bit of facts.. IF you supply the tools and determine his performance without contract and pay him by the hour he is, in fact of law, an employee AND should go on the books as such. you are libel for all the supplemental taxes ect.. Gets a bit more complicated so I posted a link of "guidelines"
it wouldn't surprise me that people many have treated as independent are in fact "employees"..
Personally I don't really agree w/ it but.....

Employee or Independent Contractor, IRS and Tax

That's just the fed, each state is different as well.. As I said, only the honest get screwed.....

Safe harbor rules are only a 1 shot thing I believe and of course only come into play in an audit..

This one pretty well throws out 95% of what people like to believe are 'independent contractors"......

Location. Independent contractors control where they work. If they work on the premises of the hiring company, it is not under that company's direction or supervision.

Funny country we live in.......

[GeneV]

Maybe you should call him and tell him you have reconsidered and that he did deserve a slightly higher hourly rate... Then tell him you will be sending him both the extra money AND his 1099...

It'd be worth the extra few bucks you'd be out to hoist this guy on his own petard!

Mike

Nothing stops one from sending a 1099 even when it is not required.

I think there should be assistance in unemployment and in other areas. It bothers me when people abuse it.
I think there should be the ability to start a business and prosper, and it bothers me when people abuse that as well.
I think we should be able to drive cars under reasonable rules, and it bothers me when people run lights.

The answer is to report the abuse and pursue it, not to draw a conclusion about the entire program.

[JohnInIndy]

BTW: John got any "independent contractors" that are really employees??????
check your state and fed regs. before answering

No. They are all well paid employees. With benefits.

[mikemike]

We need the FAIR Tax to catch this kind of abuse.

[shooz]

I don't see how taxing the top 20% at 65% is going to stop anyone from hiring a guy like this.
But, let's give it try.

My advice is, don't hire con artists or BSers.

[GeneV]

We need the FAIR Tax to catch this kind of abuse.

Seems like a total non sequitur to me. Taxing lower middle class working people at 30% of their expenditures isn't going to put him to work. It will put him to bartering.

[mikemike]

Seems like a total non sequitur to me. Taxing lower middle class working people at 30% of their expenditures isn't going to put him to work. It will put him to bartering.

A large portion of the economy is under-the-table money in grey markets like this guy or black markets like drug dealers or illegal alien workers. Taxing income only completely exempts these abusers of the system from carrying the burden they impose.

[GeneV]

A large portion of the economy is under-the-table money in grey markets like this guy or black markets like drug dealers or illegal alien workers. Taxing income only completely exempts these abusers of the system from carrying the burden they impose.

Unemployment compensation is not drug dealing and is some of the most easily traceable income there is.

Drug dealers who launder their money now will find ways to use their money to avoid a huge sales tax. Perhaps one will buy drugs with pieces of gold or jewelry, money will leave the country in large containers, etc. That upping that tax will help anything in the drug trade is truly a pipe dream.

Guys like this would trade services for products or other services. He might get off unemployment, though, to start a black market.

[MRRiley]

Nothing stops one from sending a 1099 even when it is not required.

I think there should be assistance in unemployment and in other areas. It bothers me when people abuse it.
I think there should be the ability to start a business and prosper, and it bothers me when people abuse that as well.
I think we should be able to drive cars under reasonable rules, and it bothers me when people run lights.

The answer is to report the abuse and pursue it, not to draw a conclusion about the entire program.

Many people need the assistance but those who abuse the system are actually stealing from the rest of us. After all, it is our tax dollars that they are getting.

So if it was me, I'd be sending that 1099 AND calling the state to report that the guy worked for me.

[seacapt]

Again I'll point out a freqently overlooked fact. During long term unemployment people loose skills , abillity and current knowledge making them less hirable in their fields.
Seems that if you can't find a job in your particular field within a year you probably should choose and or learn another profession.
Should unemployment insurance cover photo film lab techs for life?

[Parallax]

Many people need the assistance but those who abuse the system are actually stealing from the rest of us. After all, it is our tax dollars that they are getting.

Not true, Mike. We are currently under a Democrat administration.
That means you are not paying some of your money, that you earned for yourself and your family, to the government.
The government is graciously and benevolently allowing you to keep some of the government's money that you earned for the government.

[MRRiley]

Again I'll point out a freqently overlooked fact. During long term unemployment people loose skills , abillity and current knowledge making them less hirable in their fields.
Seems that if you can't find a job in your particular field within a year you probably should choose and or learn another profession.
Should unemployment insurance cover photo film lab techs for life?

No argument from me on this point. Heck some skills go faster than that.

Perhaps there needs to be a sliding scale, based on the currency and availability of the work being sought... as well as some test of "reasonableness."

For instance, a janitor seeking janitorial work in an area where janitorial work is relatively easy to find should not get benefits for as long as an automotive design engineer seeking automotive design work in an area where there is a reasonable expectation that he could find such work but the number of jobs is limited. And in the case of the engineer, perhaps at some point he should be encouraged to branch out into other areas of engineering which require similar basic skills but which might need training or education in specific applications.

I'm not saying that the janitor deserves less money from the government than the engineer, but "unskilled" or "less skilled" work is in much higher demand than specialized disciplines and thus the "window" of benefits should correspond to a reasonable time required to find new employment.

[MRRiley]

Not true, Mike. We are currently under a Democrat administration.
That means you are not paying some of your money, that you earned for yourself and your family, to the government.
The government is graciously and benevolently allowing you to keep some of the government's money that you earned for the government.

I keep forgetting that Jim... LOL Though at this point I don't believe it matters who is in office or in power... it's all the government's money either way. After all, they are the ones who print it...

[jeffkrol]

I it's all the government's money either way. After all, they are the ones who print it...

Now your getting it........