Are self employed people who become unemployed discriminated against?

[goosebump]

The tax you are paying on Oct 31t is for the TAX YEAR 2012. That's why its called preliminary tax!

It isn't.

Preliminary Tax relates to the current tax year.

By Oct 31st of this year, I have to pay the balance of my tax for 2010, and my preliminary tax for 2011.

If you're self-employed, I'd suggest you contact an accountant.

[selfemployed]

I'm self employed.

At any given time, I have cash in the bank.

What I pay myself is determined as follows:

I keep 12 x €1,500 in the bank at all times, as a buffer in case my work dries up. I then calculate my monthly salary based on the balance. Sometimes its up, sometimes it down. Its my own version of Job Seekers Benefit.

Lots of people don't do this. They get in one big job, blow all the money and then wait for the next big job. That's the way a lot of builders worked, and now they're high and dry.

Hi,

I sincerely hope your system continues to work for you, not meaning to appear cheeky but your figure went up from €10,000 to €18,000 since your last similar post.

There are different types of services that self employed provide I know in my case such a small amount in reserve would have caused havoc for a number of other small businesses who trusted me to meet my obligations.

Nobody in my sector was responsible for the disaster that has been foisted on all the citisens of this country, I am not a builder, developer or property speculator and at the time our economy crashed I had what I thought was at least three years reserve that was built up over thirty years of working on average 12 > 15 hour days.

Yes I made the mistake of spending more on advertising and marketing to a country of consumers who were / are shell shocked and afraid to spend even on essentials.

What really annoys me is our present Govt. are trying to encourage more people to walk into the self employed trap without putting any safe guards in place just in case their business does not work.

I still try to drum up business everyday my reputation in business is very good with both suppliers and customers, unfortunately I am supposed to compete with many on benefit who have practically no overheads and definitely no thought being given to proper business administration.

I don't blame them, they are responding to the very same need for survival that I had when I opened my business back in 1979, the major difference between then and now is the consumer has major personal debt and those who haven't are living in fear of further reductions in their take home pay or the inevitable stealth taxes.