SOWPub Small Business Forums

SOWPub Small Business Forums (http://www.sowpub.com/forum/index.php)
-   SOWPub Business Forum (http://www.sowpub.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=2)
-   -   Notes on the UNDERGROUND ECONOMY, YOU do participate, don't you? (http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4153)

GordonJ July 7, 2007 11:34 AM

Notes on the UNDERGROUND ECONOMY, YOU do participate, don't you?
 
The rapidly expanding UNDERGROUND economy, you are part of it.
Definition of "Underground Economy"

"Underground economy" is a term that refers to those individuals and businesses that deal in cash and/or use other schemes to conceal their activities and their true tax liability from government licensing, regulatory, and taxing agencies. Underground economy is also referred to as tax evasion, tax fraud, cash pay, tax gap, payments under-the-table, and off-the-books. From:
http://www.edd.ca.gov/taxrep/txueoind.htm

YIKES. I just bought a little gas powered motor scooter, and I mean scooter, for 50 bux from a kid around the corner at a garage sale. The little "schemer" didn’t even collect tax. He and his kind should be punished severely.

Too bad our jails are so over crowded that some hard core criminals are getting out early (like Paris Hilton)…or else we could clamp down on these vicious thieves of our Above Ground economy.

NO one talks about this, so let me. There are, by my own definitions, TWO forms of the Underground Economy, hereafter the UE.

First the illegal divided into two kinds: Black Market and Illegal. If you’ve ever been to a war zone, or disaster area, the BLACK Market thrives.

Mostly from stolen goods and/or inferior products. It has been reported that one hijacked truck of cigarettes (and this happens more than you think) is worth about a million dollars on the street. The epidemic of DVD’s and CD’s being sold on street corners across America is staggering. You don’t own one of these do you?

OK, then there is the other dark side UE; 90% of which are drugs, prostitution and gambling. Used to be booze in there, but after the failure of PROHIBITION, and loss of TAX revenue, we (Americans) now control the booze…and we collect our taxes.

Funny thing, gambling is legal in some form in just about every state. Lotteries, horse racing, Off Track Betting, dog racing, casinos, slot machines, bingo and poker tournaments.

AS long as the state can collect TAXES.

A couple of years ago in neighboring Tallmadge, OH a guy was busted for "illegal" gambling…those little NFL and College football hotsheets and some money from one of those "gaming" establishments…and they found MILLIONS of dollars wrapped in foil in his freezer in his garage.

Prostitution is legal in Nevada and many countries of the world rely on the sex traffic to stay afloat. Weed is legal in Amsterdam, and if the politicians ever find a way to TAX it, it probably would become legal here too. Some (Woody Harelson springs to mind) believe that it is a shame to watch all those TAX dollars go up in smoke after a good bust.

But you don’t participate in this "bad" dark side part of the UE do you? You’ve never played a football or basketball pool at work, or one of those slips at the VFW, or played at an illegal poker game have you? Certainly not you.

However, I’d bet the farm you DO participate, perhaps unknowingly, unwittingly with the UE, much like that little fellow I bought the scooter from.

Garage sales, yard sales, ads on craigslist, eBay sales, classified ads in your newspaper, auctions, home made jewelry, washing windows, deck cleaning, car washing, yard mowing, house cleaning are just a FEW of the many activities of the UNDERGROUND ECONOMY as defined by the TAX collectors.

Just think about it…IF we were able to collect the TAXES on the UE, why we could wage war in Iraq, Iran and other places for YEARS to come. "Sigh " from George W.

Remember NannyGate? Zoe Baird was Clinton’s first nominee for attorney general, but, alas, seems Zoe was not taking taxes out of her 5.00 an hour pay to her nanny (an illegal alien)…Ms. Baird was making around $500,000.00 a year while this was happening. What a swell employer she was, eh?

NannyGate brought the UE to our attention. Have you ever hired a babysitter for an extended period of time and did NOT take taxes out (shhh, don’t say you did out loud, you never know who’s listening)???

OK. OK. MILLIONS of Americans are taking part in this shadow economy, and most would conclude they do NOTHING wrong (and you’d have my vote on that too, at least for the garage sales and all things chatteling).

Why does the UE exist? OR a better question might be, do we need more policing of our CASH transactions? Perhaps the 10,000 level needs to be reduced to 1000 dollars, that is, if you withdraw more than a grand from your back account, you need to explain why. Friends, that day may be sooner than you think.

I talk a little bit about the Underground Economy in my new work,
Fly Low & Collect the Dough, although, for the record; I do NOT advocate that any American citizen involve themselves in: tax evasion, tax fraud, cash pay, tax gap, payments under-the-table, and off-the-books.

Hell no. That’s what your CPA and tax attorney are for. J

As for the UE, I'll paraphrase a board member re: RJ/Playboy fiasco;

"Let she who is without a garage sale bargain cast the first piece of Degenhart glass".

GJA

PS. As always, food for thought. Comments, criticism or confessions welcomed.






hockeycoachdoug July 7, 2007 12:56 PM

Re: Notes on the UNDERGROUND ECONOMY, YOU do participate, don't you?
 
Gordon- Are you sure your paypal link is setup correctly? I just tried to order your new product and Paypal came back with an error- page not setup correctly. Maybe it's me.

P.S. I am sure I will enjoy this work as much as I have enjoyed your others- keep up the great work.

GordonJ July 7, 2007 01:51 PM

UH, you beat me to the punch Hockey Coach Doug...
 
We are still testing all the links. THANKS. I've sent you the report via emai, OK?

I'll correct the link, was going live tomorrow or Monday, might as well do it now.

Thanks again, email with report is ON THE WAY.

Gordon Jay

PS. Anyone else who wants it NOW, can send me the 10 bux via PayPal to [email protected] and I'll email it to you until we get all the links and kinks worked out.

OH, you'll miss out on reading that really great 5 page promotion I wrote to extract the 10 bux from your wallet, a virutal course in Remote Influence and copywriting...but oh well, you can buy NOW without being unduly influenced or persuaded. (he says facetiously).

hockeycoachdoug July 7, 2007 01:54 PM

Re: Notes on the UNDERGROUND ECONOMY, YOU do participate, don't you?
 
Got it to work through Paypal. Glad to be your first order.

Doc Jakson July 7, 2007 07:42 PM

Re: UH, you beat me to the punch Hockey Coach Doug...
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by GordonJ (Post 16026)

OH, you'll miss out on reading that really great 5 page promotion I wrote to extract the 10 bux from your wallet, a virutal course in Remote Influence and copywriting...but oh well, you can buy NOW without being unduly influenced or persuaded. (he says facetiously).



Sorry Gordon, I absolutely must read the sales letter before I buy..it's part of my religious training......where can I find it?...also my CPA insists on it..he wants to learn more about this mythical UE..of which I know nothing, of course..

all the best,
Doc

GordonJ July 8, 2007 09:19 AM

Doc's EYES ONLY, others have to wait a couple of daze...OK?
 
This is JUST for you Doc. NO ONE else is even allowed to hit the link. OR I'll get those guys in the Alltell commercial, the ones that kidnap "Chad" in the van...and threaten to pummel him with a stuffed sock...or pinch him.

You all don't want me to be a pinching ya do ya? (IF you do, and you're female, you cand send me a private message)...the rest of yous...

DON'T hit this link:

http://www.flylowcollectdough.com

Yous been warned.

PS. Doc, hope you ain't too disappointed with the "sales copy"...put my life and soul into it (and about 5 minutes of time to boot).

FirstBorn July 8, 2007 09:57 AM

Re: Doc's EYES ONLY, others have to wait a couple of daze...OK?
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by GordonJ (Post 16041)
DON'T hit this link:

http://www.flylowcollectdough.com

Yous been warned.

Ahhh... Didn't 'hit' the link... Didn't even 'Click' the link...
BUT, You NEVER Said NOT to 'copy and paste the link into Your browser address bar'... :D

:)
Christopher

Pete Egeler July 8, 2007 04:34 PM

Whooooo!!
 
Getting ready to read it again, THEN print it out.

Gonna sleep with it under my pillow to see if I can pick up any "hidden" info that might have been written in code.

Love it. A "must read" in my book!

Way to go, GJ.

Pete

GordonJ July 8, 2007 06:23 PM

Pete, you know I'm cryptic. OF course there is secret code in it.
 
And Pete,

Sleeping on it is as good as anyway there is to "crack" the code. HA!

gja

OR you can print it out and carefully rub lemon juice on the back of it to see the TREASURE map (stole that from National Treasure, the movie) but it too, alas, is enCrypted.

PS. The decoder ring is available, operators are standing ready. Call the toll free number you may find secretly embedded in the report.


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:32 AM.

Powered by vBulletin Version 3.6.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.