My grandfather was Alfano the Great. In the 1920’s he walked between 2 eight story buildings with no net. In addition, he walked on his hands, rode a bicycle and did wheelies. All for a few bucks. Obviously, he never fell, or I wouldn’t be here.
The IRS, US Labor Department, and several state labor departments are about to cut the tight rope of some employers who classify employees as independent contractors.
Michael Cohen report, IRS to Team with Labor Dept. on Employee Classification, discusses the IRS and the Labor Dept. combine efforts with seven states to tackle the problem of employee tax classification. This could be a game-changer because one of the problems in employee tax classification has been defining what an “employee” is.
This move among all of these agencies (and I can only guess that the number of states signing on will grow), will allow a sharing of information about employee tax classifications. Now, this may seem harmless, but remember when you can operate a business in Los Angeles without a business license? Ten or fifteen years ago, one of the main ways L A City found you was to look at the business marques in buildings and cross-check them to the business license lists. Now, they get their information from Sacramento and individual tax return schedule C. All they do now is match the addresses to the individual tax return and send out penalty notices.
I have been writing about this issue for a long time. Here is an article in relation to the healthcare deduction. Healthcare Reform: If It Walks Like a Duck and Quacks Like a Duck…We’ll Call it a Toad
Employee tax classification databases may change the odds for those employers who are skirting the issue. The penalties could be stiff. Discuss your tax situation with your advisor before making any decisions.
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