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Russ - I respect the perspective that you have as someone who has obviously been very successful, but I have to disagree on a couple of points. First, my posting of the article was not an attack on the fact that regulations were enforced (the health code person had every right to force her to pay a fine or shut down the stand), it was illustrative of the fact that the regulations existed in the first place. The title of the thread was "disgusting example of regulation's effect on business", not "disgusting example of overzealous enforcement of health codes". I think that you and I agree that when rules do exist, everyone should have to play by them. When I started my businesses, I made sure that I had all the appropriate tax ID numbers, local licenses, state incorporation documents, etc. BEFORE I made my first sale (something, by the way, that I know a whole lot of people, expecially in ecommerce, don't do). <br />
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With that said, I personally feel that when it comes to entrepreneurship right now, in this economy, we should be doing more to reduce or streamline some of these regulations as opposed blindly advocating the position "well, rules are rules, and everyone needs to pay to play." We should be making things easier on budding entrepeneurs and small businesses, not harder. For instance, here in Virginia, I have to file quarterly tax statements not only with the state, but with my local county. Add to that the federal tax return, and that's at least 9 tax filings whether I do any business at all, or a million dollars worth of business, just for existing. <br />
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Now, I knew all this going into it, I accepted the fact that those are the rules I have to play by, but that doesn't mean that I have to think it's right!<br />
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Instead of advocating the position that "that's just the way it is, pay up!", I think we should be identifying these regulations and finding ways to make the barrier to legal, law-abiding entrepreneurship less onerous.
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First, I never really was making any comments about health codes. That was other people.<br />
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My points were, specifically, that if you are conducting business on someone else's property (ie, the City's), you should expect to pay for that privilege. <br />
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In addition, if you're bootlegging an event (an Art Fair where vendors paid lots of money to have booths), hey, pony up. Don't be a scab.<br />
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I'm not leveling this at the kid. Her mom should have known better-- or at least asked the city (that's what we would have done!).<br />
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Health codes are an entirely different matter. Hard to police a lemonade stand. I doubt there are many (any) kids out there w/ServSafe certification!<br />
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RE: Your comments about filing 9 different tax returns.<br />
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My first year of business, I had to file (and pay) MONTHLY sales tax returns. <br />
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When I got employees, I had to file (and pay) MONTHLY payroll tax returns.<br />
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I could go on (State, Fed, Social Sec, Named insureds). You get the idea.<br />
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Dozens.<br />
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Plan on filing a ship load of tax returns. <br />
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Why?<br />
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We have state govts and local govts and a federal govt. <br />
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Municipal govts. County govts. Business Districts. <br />
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Each takes care of different things.<br />
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When things don't get taken care of, people complain about it.<br />
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But they also complain about paying taxes to the locals, the state, and the Feds.<br />
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My point is to stop complaining and realize this is the cost of living in the US.<br />
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If you don't want to support the infrastructure, that's cool.<br />
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Go someplace that doesn't have the infrastructure.<br />
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It may seem cheaper (and easier) to not file all those returns.<br />
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But you might need to build your own roads.<br />
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And hire your own security force to prevent being kidnapped or killed for your money. <br />
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And have a water purification plant on site so you can drink the water.<br />
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All this stuff costs money.<br />
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America's business environment is the envy of many, many businesspeople in other parts of the world.<br />
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Because we've got it so easy.<br />
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Because it costs so little to do business here.<br />
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Because we have such an enormous market.<br />
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That's my POV, at least.<br />
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As my buddy's friend says (when everyone else is complaining/afraid of doing something, b/c of the tax): <b>"Show me the tax! I bet I can make money all day doing this--AND paying taxes!"</b><br />
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Do I like paying taxes?<br />
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Of course not.<br />
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But I sure as heck prefer it to the alternative.<br />
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And I will pay taxes-- and file buzillions of forms-- GLADLY.<br />
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Y'know why?<br />
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Because that's part of being in business. <br />
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If it were too easy, any ya-hoo could hang up a sign and say they "own their own business".<br />
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-Russ H.<br />
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PS Sorry if I'm whacking on you so hard here, Throttleforward. I think you touched a nerve. When I got started, I had many a year where my business owed taxes and I didn't have any money. My logic was-- "How can I owe taxes if I don't have any money??!?"<br />
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The answer was: Become a better businessman. Stop running my business at a deficit (hard to do, VERY hard to do, sometimes). But worth it. <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-thumbsup.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":thumbsup:" title="Thumbs Up :thumbsup:" data-shortname=":thumbsup:" /></div>
