I for one like this new section of the forum. As clearly stated by Chris, Politics and/or Religion should be avoided and I will try to abide by his wishes. However, the economy is a vital part of the hobby and as such, shouldn't discussions about the economy be part of the forum?
The difficult part is, how can forum members be advised about pending decisions that may or may NOT effect their personal finances WITHOUT violating forum policy? I don't have that answer but I will try.
Now, to my title....
First - Is it a Business? There have been discussions within the forum about paying taxes on hobby sales. Paying taxes is the smart thing to do and its remarkably easy to do. Buy something, make a copy, when the item is sold, make a copy of the sale. It's NOT rocket science at all. Once the decision is made to pay taxes for hobby sales, you'll be surprised how well you'll be able to sleep at night. Besides, unless a member is selling thousands of dollars worth of stuff a year, chances are sales won't impact on one's personal income taxes - JUST LET YOUR ACCOUNTANT KNOW.
Second: Is it a Hobby? My accountant put it very simply - if you make money, its a business. If you lose money, it's a hobby.
Third: Is it a Investment? The 64K question is, are hobby purchases Investments? Hard question but there is something that is pending that may effect us all. For the first time, Medicare taxes would be assessed on investment income, not just wages. What? Well, if the new healthcare bill is passed, that is exactly what's going to happen.
Again, I am trying to abide by Chris' wishes and I will say this thread is NOT about politics - it's about economics. We all plan well in advance for our future financial well being so doesn't it make sense to be aware of future developments that can effect us and the hobby?
Jim
flaa1a@comcast.net
The difficult part is, how can forum members be advised about pending decisions that may or may NOT effect their personal finances WITHOUT violating forum policy? I don't have that answer but I will try.
Now, to my title....
First - Is it a Business? There have been discussions within the forum about paying taxes on hobby sales. Paying taxes is the smart thing to do and its remarkably easy to do. Buy something, make a copy, when the item is sold, make a copy of the sale. It's NOT rocket science at all. Once the decision is made to pay taxes for hobby sales, you'll be surprised how well you'll be able to sleep at night. Besides, unless a member is selling thousands of dollars worth of stuff a year, chances are sales won't impact on one's personal income taxes - JUST LET YOUR ACCOUNTANT KNOW.
Second: Is it a Hobby? My accountant put it very simply - if you make money, its a business. If you lose money, it's a hobby.
Third: Is it a Investment? The 64K question is, are hobby purchases Investments? Hard question but there is something that is pending that may effect us all. For the first time, Medicare taxes would be assessed on investment income, not just wages. What? Well, if the new healthcare bill is passed, that is exactly what's going to happen.
Again, I am trying to abide by Chris' wishes and I will say this thread is NOT about politics - it's about economics. We all plan well in advance for our future financial well being so doesn't it make sense to be aware of future developments that can effect us and the hobby?
Jim
flaa1a@comcast.net
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