Oh trust me I have sat thru an independent contractor audit. One blemish and it opens up 3 yrs. We had one incident where we wrote a check to someone who refinished a bath tub for a job
Burden of proof was on us. They looked at every check, every cash expense.
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This happened to me, probably around the same time frame and similar insurance (BCBS) after I fell off my horse and had to go to the hospital. I received a questionnaire in the mail with only a few questions, and one of them asked if the accident happened on my property. Even though I boarded my horse, I answered “yes” since I had been sitting on the horse that I owned when the accident happened. I never heard anything more from the insurance company after that.
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Same with me. I was riding on the shoulder of a County Road. Never heard from them again.
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While I firmly believe barns should pay their share of taxes, just like every other business, just as a fair warning to boarders, once the practice of paying as 1099s or cash-basis is eliminated completely you WILL pay more for board.
A huge component of the agricultural world prefers cash so that it’s less traceable. Especially hay suppliers and workers.
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Many, many folks are also unbanked, period, whether for nefarious purposes or not. Cash is king.
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Oh for sure - I should have included that as well.
I’ve thought about doing more cash for budgeting purposes. It’s a pain for me because I’m sort of a digital person, but it’s so easy to overspend when you just whip out that little card.
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Thanks for the correction. You will note, however, that the plan presently on the table is to remove birthright citizenship too, so…
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Plus now people are charging 3% if you use a card . Finally got everybody using them after COVID now they’re charging us, I don’t like carrying cash but I’m starting to again
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This happened with me with Florida Blue - last year.
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I think the plan is to get rid of birthright citizenship moving forward, not to implement it retroactively and revoke citizenship rights from those who already have it.
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I have a friend who is a labor and delivery nurse. She was telling me about something they have seen several times in the last few years in her unit of fairly well off South Americans who are expecting scheduling their vacations to the US for near their due date so their baby can be born in the US. I think it’s this type of behavior that is causing the issue.
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My understanding was it is retroactive for “Dreamers”.
I could be wrong.
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Correct. I did some reading on this. Looks like having a baby in the US for citizenship is a booming market for the wealthy in China, South American countries, and certain Middle Eastern countries.
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Speaking as a business owner as well as boarding/training facility owner, I have been following the political climate regarding immigration closely. Last year I planned out significant facility renovations. I’ve owned this facility for a while and it’s time. I’ve had plans drawn up and funds arranged. As a result of the current climate, I have chosen to put the plans on hold. I’m disappointed, but ultimately the facility is a business and I have to make prudent decisions. Among my concerns: I’m concerned about making renovations for a horse business that I may not be able run due to inadequate staff. I’m concerned about starting major construction projects at a time when construction companies are likely to be losing necessary/trusted staff due to concerns about project cost, quality, and time to completion issues. I’m also concerned about the cost/availability of materials due to supply chain issues secondary to inadequate numbers of workers.
A few other comments:
Similar to every other farm owner I know, I only hire staff with proper legal documentation–the penalties for an employer doing otherwise are quite severe. Nonetheless, ICE is often terrifying to perfectly legal workers. Many fully legal workers have spouses or children that they love who do not have legal documents. Also laws and policies can change overnight, and mistakes can be made. To me, it seems dismissive to tell people that they “just need to follow the legal path to become a citizen.” I have zero training in immigration law, but my own observation is that I’ve watched families sink a lot of money into the process without success.
Undocumented workers absolutely pay taxes. I don’t know any employers nowadays who are paying cash under the table or trying to use 1099s as a workaround. The penalties for paying cash under the table are very steep, as are the penalties for hiring people without the correct documents. It’s pretty clear that the IRS does not think it is correct for grooms and stall cleaners to be paid via 1099. If a worker uses fraudulent documents, federal, state, and local taxes are withheld each paycheck, but that worker has no opportunity to apply for a tax refund.
As a slightly off-topic aside, I have to comment on the prior discussion re: “letting go” of horses. I have both high end racehorses and show horses at my barn, and I instruct my grooms and riders to use their judgement and always prioritize their safety over holding on or attempting to restrain an animal in a way that puts them at risk for bodily harm. My facility is specifically set up so that a loose horse has nowhere to go. Aside from caring about workers and riders as human beings (who have lives and loved ones), from a business perspective dealing with workplace injuries is an extremely serious situation involving Workmans comp insurance claims and medical bills. Telling an employee that they are expected to risk bodily harm for the sake of an animal or their job is NOT an acceptable workplace policy in ANY industry.
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I had a similar experience to @quietann. This was when I was hit by a car when I was driving one of my ponies. It was my own damned car, on my own property. Long story short, DH had parked the car at the top of our steep driveway, and it rolled down, hitting me in the cart and coming to rest against a tree down below. I told all the medical providers it was an equestrian accident with no details as I didn’t want any sniping between my health insurance and car insurance.
United Healthcare kept asking me for the responsible party, and would not let it go. I told them the first time they asked that it was my own horse and happened on my own property, but they kept after me for quite a while to tell them something different.
Rebecca
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I wondered at the tine(s) if perhaps it’s some non horse literate claims person maybe thinking it was a hack string rental thing or something
Dreamers weren’t born in the US; they were brought here as children, and they aren’t citizens.
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You are correct, I stand corrected as I just looked it up.
Thanks.
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No problem - there’s a lot to keep track of and the circus isn’t going to end anytime soon.
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Well Mexico and Canada have caved to the threat of Tariffs and will help with securing the boarders.
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