Tax on Mowing. Unbelievable...

[P.Services]

i can think of one way it will help me and hurt the state. thats all im gona say.

[Swampy]

Originally Posted by P.Services

i can think of one way it will help me and hurt the state. thats all im gona say.

Whats that switch to non taxable service?

PS why the screen name change?

[meicher806]

Originally Posted by Swampy

On the landscape side WI doesn't tax Decks, patios, Retaining/decortive walls, or fencing. So those are safe to. See Pub 210 http://www.revenue.wi.gov/pubs/pb210.pdf

Ok, you got me there I dont do too much on the landscape side, i forgot that there are a few things that dont get tax'd

[P.Services]

Originally Posted by Swampy

Whats that switch to non taxable service?

PS why the screen name change?

switch to non taxable payment options

[Runner]

I can't even believe this is being revisited. You guys are exactly on to something that had been discussed HEAVILY with our state reps. The people that will REALLY benefit off this is the guys that are doing this illegitimately - the ones operating "under the radar". Many clients will go for the cheaper price - MUCH cheaper price - leaving all us taxpaying businesses holding an empty bag. Well,...guess what...with a decline in business, so will there be a decline in the amount of state income tax we will be paying. THEN let's see how much overall tax revenue will be going to the state. We marched on our state capitol in 2008, and we were effective....they saw the light. we divided into groups and went into the offices of our state reps and they listened with open ears. the idea behind this rally was to put faces behind the term "landscape industry".
She should have gotten the message then....but now, as she's on her way out,...perhaps it's just that she does not care. Tell a person once, and shed some light on that which they do not know or realize, - we can call that innocent ignorance. But to have to tell someone twice - after they KNOW the facts and the results it could have? that is shear stupidity.

[Kickin Your Grass]

I feel you pain! We (or should I say "some" of us ) have been collecting sales tax on our services here in Texas for a long time. It's a pain but we deal with it.

btw....Have fun bidding with joe blows lawn care from down the street who is not forced to charge it.....

[360ci]

5.5%, must be nice. Ontario sales tax is 8%, and depending on the product/supplier it can be as high as 13%. I'd LOVE to pay only 5.5%! Damn.

Mind you, the same thing goes for fuel, you guys are paying $2.75/gal, but the Canadian equivalent is close to $4.00 for a US gallon. All lawn services in Canada are charged GST, the federal sales tax (5% at the moment), but provincial sales tax is only added for some services (8%) and isn't used often. This July, everything will be 13%. Lucky us.

[JohnnyRocker]

Originally Posted by David Haggerty

Ohio has sales tax on mowing service, and I like it. Because anyone who is going to deduct the expense of mowing has to have a service provider that collects and pays in sales tax. Otherwise they'll be flagged for an audit.
It's better than a license to keep out the fly-by-night operators.

It ain't like it's a tax on ME. I just collect it and pay it in to the state.

Sure it's a big PITA to operate a business. (OK, pain for my wife) With all the taxes, insurances, license etc.

More and more, the computer bases are linked. Workers Comp, IRS, Pesticide license, and insurance. And those figures had better match.
Without taxes it's all kind of toothless, and lets a lot of guys fly under the radar. Not so when you involve the IRS. "They don't mess with the IRS".

So if you're having problems with illegal labor, unlicensed competition and the like you can learn to appreciate a sales tax.

I guess if the fly by nighter has commercial properties. I don't see home owners deducting. JMO

[David Haggerty]

Originally Posted by JohnnyRocker

I guess if the fly by nighter has commercial properties. I don't see home owners deducting. JMO

True...Homeowners can't deduct unless they're medically unable to mow their own lawn. Then they have to itemize and most don't.

But homeowners are still obligated to pay sales tax. (there's an exemption in Ohio if your neighbor mows your lawn) So if they write the LCO a check, there's a record. And it better have sales tax.
If someone collects sales tax and don't pay it to the state, It's a crime.


I make it part of my sales pitch, "I'm licensed, insured and collect and pay in sales tax."
Then I watch their faces when they get an expression kind of like this;

[ryde307]

We have sales tax on mowing and alot of Service's. Most landscaping is not taxed. Our problem is We live and work on a county line. One county has a higher sales tax because of a stadium funding deal and the other does not. So the trick is finding out what tax to charge. It states charge based on your business location. Well our office address is in the higher of the 2 so when we charge to the lower county people get upset they are being charged. Its a mess