The Mandate
from Hell -- 1099's Required for Every Vendor
of Anything over $600 Annually
Are you strapped in? Oxygen mask at the
ready?
Nicknamed by several writers as "The Mandate
from Hell", there's a provision buried in the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act (PPACA) that staggers the imagination. As Nancy
Pelosi promised, "We'll have to pass this so you can find out what's in
it."
Well, we're finding out. This requirement,
simply stated, is that as of January 1, 2012, all companies will have to issue
1099 tax forms not just to contract workers but to any individual or
corporation from which they buy more than $600 in goods or services in a tax
year. Anything. Anywhere. Link
to full CNN article....
Think of it. You'll need to collect
(require) EIN's & mailing addresses from every vendor on your vendor list,
including retailers, restaurants, hotels, etc. and send them a 1099.
You'll need to know the difference between a franchise location (like many
hotels) and a company-owned location. You'll need an EIN and a mailing
address from every airline, as well as Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire and
Priceline. Don't forget the phone company, UPS, FedX and the mechanic who
works on the company vehicles.
And, worse yet, everyone you sell to will
be sending you W-9 forms asking for your EIN (you might as well post a W-9 with
your EIN on your website), and then they'll each be sending you a little
envelope about February 1st with your 1099. The post office will be out of
the red. And what in the world will you do with a wire basket full of
1099s?
I don't even know what to suggest on this one,
except perhaps to write your Senator or Representative who voted for this,
thanking them for their brilliant plan for flushing out tax cheats (the argument
for this abomination). My concern is that it won't get the treatment
it deserves -- full repeal -- but rather a morass of regulation writing
exempting this and that from the requirement (which you'll need to sort out
after it happens).
Good news: Rep. Daniel Lungren
(R-CA) has introduced legislation to repeal this requirement, H.R. 5141, the
Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act. Perhaps in your letter
to your Senator or Representative, you could urge passage of that act as
proposed -- a 100% repeal.
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