Business owners: What obstacles has government imposed on you?

[chikenwing]

I deal with MSHA all the time as a contractor,you wouldn't believe the absolute absurdities they make people do and what the will fine them for.

Safety is all well and good and needs to be practiced,but they take things beyond what is sensible.

They will inspect a mine site,and must walk away with some kind of citation,they are told this,they must orders from higher up.Personally told this my an inspector,and have heard it from many others in the gravel and aggregate business.

The paper work is extensive and burdensome. Then you ad on annual redundant training,ya its like throwing out an anchor while your trying to get work done.

 

[Sundial]

I seriously hope this doesn't turn into a bashfest. I actually respect most small business owners. I'm interested in the experiences of those of you who feel you've persevered through excessive regulation to create a successful business.

I'm a small business owner. The effect of government regulation is somewhere between zero and almost zero. The problem is what it's always been - locating customers while minimizing expenses.

 

[chikenwing]

I seriously hope this doesn't turn into a bashfest. I actually respect most small business owners. I'm interested in the experiences of those of you who feel you've persevered through excessive regulation to create a successful business.

I'm a small business owner. The effect of government regulation is somewhere between zero and almost zero. The problem is what it's always been - locating customers while minimizing expenses.

It all depends on what you do,some industries are highly regulated,some are not,add the ones that are too what you correctly identified as the big challenge and you get a burden

 

[chikenwing]

I have customers that have business in NY and Pa,I do business in both states,there is no comparing the red tape from one state to the next,which state do you think is the slow expensive state?

 

[healthmyths]

I seriously hope this doesn't turn into a bashfest. I actually respect most small business owners. I'm interested in the experiences of those of you who feel you've persevered through excessive regulation to create a successful business.

Direct costs to hiring more people due to "rules and regulations"!

PER OSHA "water closet" means a toilet facility maintained within a toilet room for the purpose of both defecation and urination and which is flushed with water.
Minimum number of Number of employees water closets
1 to 15.................................................... 1
16 to 35................................................... 2
36 to 55................................................... 3
56 to 80................................................... 4

OSHA requires if a business has 1 water closet for 15 workers
and decide to hire 1 more person...
per OSHA law provide must have 2 water closets!

Sanitation. - 1910.141

 

[healthmyths]

The 50-or-more-employees provision may encourage small businesses to stay small and uncompetitive. Under the ACA, a company with 49 employees has to pay nothing for their insurance— but one more employee means an automatic cost increase of thousands of dollars. The ACA facilitates great financial alleviation for small businesses that want to stay small, but it might harm those that want to become more competitive in the market.
Obamacare: Hurt or Help to Small Businesses? - Technorati Small Business

 

[LordBrownTrout]

Corporation tax on gross sales receipts.

What? What regulation makes you pay taxes on gross receipts?

The OP stated obstacles in his header. You don't pay taxes on regs, you pay permit and licensing fees. In my business these fees, that are ordained by the EU and UN, contradict the state and federal registrars that pertain to my particular industry.

 

[chikenwing]

I seriously hope this doesn't turn into a bashfest. I actually respect most small business owners. I'm interested in the experiences of those of you who feel you've persevered through excessive regulation to create a successful business.

Direct costs to hiring more people due to "rules and regulations"!

PER OSHA "water closet" means a toilet facility maintained within a toilet room for the purpose of both defecation and urination and which is flushed with water.
Minimum number of Number of employees water closets
1 to 15.................................................... 1
16 to 35................................................... 2
36 to 55................................................... 3
56 to 80................................................... 4

OSHA requires if a business has 1 water closet for 15 workers
and decide to hire 1 more person...
per OSHA law provide must have 2 water closets!

Sanitation. - 1910.141

I had a OSHA inspector one time tell me I ad to replace 4 machine tool work lights because they where not grounded,She arrived at this conclusion,incorrectly by the way,by touching a neon non contact voltage tester to a PLASTIC DOUBLE INSULATED UL APPROVED fixture,the neon glowed because it was close to the socket and the AC power source that's how they work.

She would have non of the fact that she was dead wrong and with threats made it clear if they weren't replaced there would be trouble.

I won't argue the merits of replacing a safe and suitable tool with a three wire fixture made of metal,so if the ground should fail,the device itself could become energized.

The bill for 4 new fixture 700.00 bucks

 

[Ravi]

I seriously hope this doesn't turn into a bashfest. I actually respect most small business owners. I'm interested in the experiences of those of you who feel you've persevered through excessive regulation to create a successful business.

Excessive? The only one I can complain about sales tax across state lines.

 

[Vel]

While there are plenty of other things to bitch about, I think the one that makes me the angriest is receiving the letters requiring that I garnish wages for some reason or another. The letter states that I, by virtue of having given someone a job, have become financially liable for their back debts. I'm told that if I fail to collect, document and send that money in to the appropriate entity, that I will be assessed the debt. I resent enough having to spend my money in order to collect and document taxes for the various governments, let alone being forced to be an unpaid bad debt collector.

 

[DontBeStupid]

Corporation tax on gross sales receipts.

What? What regulation makes you pay taxes on gross receipts?

The OP stated obstacles in his header. You don't pay taxes on regs, you pay permit and licensing fees. In my business these fees, that are ordained by the EU and UN, contradict the state and federal registrars that pertain to my particular industry.

Right.

But then LBT talked about taxes on gross sales, which I don't think happens anywhere in the states to any business. Unless there's some random thing I don't know about somewhere, which was why I asked.

 

[Moonglow]

I have no interferrence to my business. All workers are 1099. I pay self employment tax and taxes on net income, after business deductions..

I suspect your business is about as large as the kid next door mowing lawns to supplement his allowance.

yep, gave up on running crews since i have to have two operations this year. One down, One to go.
Afterword i plan on gearing up for big jobs again.
But i do love to work for cash only.

 

[LordBrownTrout]

What? What regulation makes you pay taxes on gross receipts?

The OP stated obstacles in his header. You don't pay taxes on regs, you pay permit and licensing fees. In my business these fees, that are ordained by the EU and UN, contradict the state and federal registrars that pertain to my particular industry.

Right.

But then LBT talked about taxes on gross sales, which I don't think happens anywhere in the states to any business. Unless there's some random thing I don't know about somewhere, which was why I asked.

This is what I was referring to on the gross receipt tax:


Texas Implements Gross Receipts Tax | Tax Foundation

 

[Mr. H.]

The IEMA is a pain in the ass. Tier 2 reporting stems from the "Community Right To Know" act. Takes me days each year to compile. Welcome to IEMA

Having to file FOI requests for reports on inspections of MY OWN facilities. Now it takes 2 weeks to get a sheet of paper they used to hand me in the field.

Worker's comp rates that keep going up and up. We've filed one claim in the past 35 years.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

The IEMA is a pain in the ass. Tier 2 reporting stems from the "Community Right To Know" act. Takes me days each year to compile. Welcome to IEMA

Having to file FOI requests for reports on inspections of MY OWN facilities. Now it takes 2 weeks to get a sheet of paper they used to hand me in the field.

Worker's comp rates that keep going up and up. We've filed one claim in the past 35 years.

My liability has more than doubled over the last few years. 0 claims. Shuch a sham

 

[Toro]

Not a small business owner, but i work in IT. Sarbanes Oxley requires us to spend a lot of time on complying with audits on our SDLC procedures, not to mention all the up-front work it took to document and implement all those steps specifically for them. It also forced us to put more controls throughout the SDLC process which often leads to slower moving projects, which means fewer projects can get done cause time is spent on complying with procedure. Not to say that having a strict SDLC and complying with procedure consistently is bad but it does prevent a smallish/medium sized shop like ours from being agile in responding to business needs so we can grow the business.

I've come full circle.

Sarbox is bad policy and should be repealed.

 

[Rozman]

I admire people who take the chance to start a business.
Our President mocks them while his followers stand around him and cheer him on....

This is a defining moment in this campaign...

 

[Ravi]

I admire people who take the chance to start a business.
Our President mocks them while his followers stand around him and cheer him on....

This is a defining moment in this campaign...

I'm one of those people you admire and I'm smart enough to know that Obama didn't mock anyone starting or running a business.

 

[Claudette]

While I don't own or run a business I have plenty of friends who do.

According to them dealing with all the regs is, in two words, a fucking nightmare.

 

[LoneLaugher]

That's because people like to bitch.

Ever ask them why they voluntarily engage in a nightmarish activity?

Is there an industrialized nation where starting and running a business is easier?

So much false outrage. It must be tiring.