2 million self-employed
Their interests are our interest
Global Independent Contractor News (Posted 19 December)
USA IRS attacks independents
Don't force entrepreneurs to do the government's job ...
Korean baby boomers self-employed
Unhappy Brits seek contracting
When self-employed become an employer
Design/Check Your Contract
We provide contract templates and assistance.
Fixing business disputes
There's lots happening for new dispute resolution services for small business people. The Small Business Commissioner (SBC) model is being rolled out across Australia. Explanation of developments.
Watching: Self-employed entrepreneurs
Our discussion on enabling innovation
Watching: The coordinated attack against self-employed in Australia
Do unions hate the self-employed?
Federal tax attack
Sham contracting small problem
Watching: New Technology
Opportunities and new threats for self-employed people
Charles Dickens on debt and misery
'Income 20 pounds; expenditure 21 pounds; result misery!'
Bureaucracy can be so confusing!
The perils of designing a traffic sign
Great truths ...
25 great quotations
Our Campaigning
We need unfair contract protections
Defend contractor tax laws
Watching: Your Superannuation
Scary super stories

Abbott says ATO to administer Super

Super Review and Govt response.
Watching: Work Safety Laws
Harmonised laws have big problems.
Watching: Government Contracts
Military Aircraft (JSF)

National Broadband Network
Watching: Fair Work Act
We're watching

What the AIG wants
Handy ATO Links
Filing your tax return:
A member's problem
ATO advice

Handy ATO tax links:
ATO debt collection: overview
ATO debt collection: 'Products'
Guide to managing your debt
Not-for-profit tax guide
Lodge your BAS online
PAYG withholding tax tables
New tax form: Taxpayer Statement of Account
New tax form: Notice of Assessment
Mortgage scams
Small business support
Payment arrangement calculator
Want an ATO visit?
ATO Help for small business
ABN eligibility rules
Self managing your tax debt

Handy Super links:
ATO SMSF compliance
ATO free seminars.
SMSF Admin advice
New Super clearing house
Tax on SMSF loans
Watching Global Economies
Watching Global Economies
Watching the USA
Watching China
Central Banks on Debt
Watching Housing Bubbles
Ken Phillips on the debt equation
News Items
Enabling or destroying entrepreneurs and jobs [27 January 2012]
A new analysis from the UK-based Institute of Economic Affairs should be compulsory reading for government policy-makers and economists. Self-employment, Small Firms and Enterprise focuses on the need to allow self-employment to flourish if entrepreneurship is to occur. Here is our summary of the main points. The full report is available here.

A Bill to destroy truckies' businesses [27 January 2012]
The Gillard government is introducing a Bill that will harm entrepreneurship. It will effectively kill off self-employment in the road transport sector by imposing price-fixing on owner-drivers. Here's our submission to the Parliamentary inquiry. We say: reject the Bill.

Australia's super nest egg broken [27 January 2012]
Adele Ferguson from The Age explains why Australia's superannuation system is at risk. The funds are not required to give any information about how they manage the billions they control.


A world of new work challenges [21 January 2012]
As the world of work undergoes huge changes the global debate is hot.

• Forbes magazine discusses how to make money without a job.
• The UK Daily Telegraph says that business does better when owned by the staff.
• The Economist asks if technology kills jobs.
• South Carolina has decided it will support self-employed people.
• The Wall St Journal looks at the different angles of a world with declining permanent jobs. There's good and bad.
• The Havana Times questions the value of Cuba leaning toward the 'new Chinese imperialism' (called capitalism). Surely this demonstrates the extent of change.
• CNN explains that, as workers gain more freedom, the lines between self-employed and employed are becoming blurred.

Scout volunteers OHS risk [15 January 2012]
The NSW Scout Association has issued a memo to its volunteer leaders. In part, it says: If you do not follow directives, policies and procedures, you may be fined.

What it doesn't say is that prosecutions are conducted under criminal law, that a volunteer would be denied the right to silence and they could be held responsible even if they didn't have control of the situation. Here's the Scouts Association memo. Here's our most recent OHS update. Ken Phillips' associated Business Spectator article is here. Further commentary from the The Australian here and here and from ABC Radio Newcastle here.

Economic Predictions for 2012 [14 January 2012]
Demographic economist Harry Dent says that the USA is in a false recovery that will end in the coming months. Sell out of stocks now he says. His Youtube prediction is here.



Policies to enable job creation [14 January 2012]
The Huffington Post says that self-employed baby-boomers are the new job starters. The Age journalist, Michael Pascoe, says pity the self-employed---but he wouldn't work any other way.

• The Adam Smith Institute say that small business in the UK should be allowed to engage workers as independent contractors, moving tax payment responsibility to individuals. This would boost jobs growth they say. Short article. Full paper.

• New Hampshire has introduced independent contractor declarations which enable clarity to be achieved

Strangling job creation [14 January 2012]
One common claim made is that the US loses billions in payroll tax because of independent contractors. California has just introduced 780 new business regulation laws, including a big clampdown on 'misclassification' of independent contractors. Australian government minister Bill Shorten says he loves independent contractors, but government actions reflect aggression rather than 'love'.

The 'false' employee. Really self-employed [9 January 2012]
More and more employers are treating employees as if they were independent contractors. It's the rise of the 'false' employee. The New York Times talks of the rise of the multi-taskers, really self-employed look-alikes. But watch the tax authorities seek to crush this, the articles says. Cuba continues to open its economy to self-employment. My, how things are changing!

Read Beyond the Corporation and listen to the BBC on the Mondragon Group (Spain), world's largest worker cooperative.

Researching small business people [9 January 2012]
Research on self-employed people continues to show that they (we) are motived by the desire to control our own work situations. See these documents from Canberra University and Curtin University, Western Australia.


The micro-multinational is taking over [27 December 2011]
A Brussels-registered think-tank, the Lisbon Council, says the micro-multinational is taking over. Technology and social trends are enabling individuals to compete with big companies, even globally. It's where all the jobs and innovation growth are occurring. Here's a summary and the report.
[Comments (1)]

Is employment dying or will arrogance prevail? A discussion [22 December 2011]
Forbes magazine says for American workers it's the age of independence. A report from ARNnet says that by the year 2050 employment will have disappeared.
    "...the Industrial Age brought about the modern employee and a new type of bondage in the form of unions. This bondage is being replaced by independence."
Surprisingly, Ken Phillips is cautious about such a prediction, saying beware of the 'Caligula factor'. Join in the discussion.
[Comments (4)]

"Socialism works only until you run out of other people's money"--- Margaret Thatcher [23 December 2011]
Maybe Cuba has being listening:
• Cuba finally allows bank loans
• Credit opening for farmers and small businesses
• Thousands of small entrepreneurs appear in Cuba
• 357,000 Cubans self-employed

Proposed transport laws: a card trick attacking small business people [16 December 2011]
In a surprise move in late November, the federal government introduced a new road transport bill. It's a con trick. It pretends to address truckies' safety. In fact it is designed to give huge power to the Transport Workers Union. It does this by breaching anti-price fixing laws under the Trade Practices Act.

We've written to federal MPs saying 'don't be conned'. Here's our analysis and reasons for saying it's bad law. Update 22 December: For Ken Phillips's associated Business Spectator article, click here.
[Comments (3)]

When the left and right agree on small business [3 December 2011]
This week we held our 'pub debate' on the future of employment and the changing work/life motivations of people in society. Peter Strong comes from the 'left' tradition. People say I come from the 'right' tradition. However, we agree: it's about 'people'. This challenges both the Labor and conservative political positions. Here are the YouTube vids of the debate/discussion. Give us your comments!




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