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The end of gas station routes?

November 29, 2017 03:01PM
Should the proposed 2018 tax law get ramrodded through Congress and signed by the current occupant of the Oval Office, I see some major changes in my shopping routines (as well as my driving for Uber and Lyft, but that's another story for a totally different website).

It's my understanding that the proposed tax law does away with mileage deductions for independent contractors.

Seeing as local gas station shops are not worth the pay, I only do routes involving nice bonuses. But if I can't deduct the mileage (sometimes as much as 350 miles in a day), it makes remote routes not worth it to me.

Your thoughts?

Have synthesizers, will travel...
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More About Gas Station Mystery Shopping
November 29, 2017 05:55PM
I have not heard this, and I think it would be major news if it were the case. What I have heard is that *employees* of companies might be limited in their ability to deduct certain expenses as an itemized deduction on Schedule A. It does not impact independent contractors, who file as businesses on Schedule C.

Here is a news article from Inc. magazine on the topic:
[www.inc.com]
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November 29, 2017 10:53PM
Fortunately, we are not employees and as an independent contractor I don't think there is a need to panic.
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November 30, 2017 01:16AM
Yes, the way I understand the bill is that not only mileage deduction would be eliminated, but also unreimbursed employee expenses and expenses related to work search also. With the mileage deduction gone, I’m afraid my mystery shopping and merchandising days are numbered.
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November 30, 2017 01:36AM
Quite frankly, I have not read the House or Senate's proposals and i plan to continue to deduct the expenses as I have done in the past until my accountant says I can't. I am not going to panic over unfounded fears of the actions of the "current occupant of the oval office".
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November 30, 2017 04:55AM
It's all true, its a horrible bill.
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November 30, 2017 07:03AM
I have not read the bill, but I have done some research and can’t find anywhere where the mileage deduction for independent contractors is discussed. I think we would have heard something, I suspect many people use this deduction. It would definitely make mystery shopping, of all types, far less lucrative. I’m not a fan of most of what I’m hearing of the bill, but I think I’d be able to find some mention of the mileage deduction if it was on the chopping block.
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November 30, 2017 10:49AM
I know of one mystery shopping company that requires you to become a W-2 employee, and there may be merchandising companies as well. If you do a ton of work for those, then you *might* be affected, depending on how much you have in itemized deductions and several other factors. In those limited cases, I feel for you. But 99 percent of us would not be affected at all, as we are independent contractors and not employees. Our mileage deductions would not be touched. The proposed changes only do away with unreimbursed employee expense deductions, not business mileage deductions.
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November 30, 2017 12:14PM
Accrding to a question and answer column in Forbes magazine regarding the proposed tax bill I found this: Under the proposed bill, most itemized deductions (except home mortgage interest deduction, the charitable donation deduction, and a modified state and local property tax deduction) would be eliminated in favor of an increased standard deduction. Some business-related deductions are slated to stay in place, however, any which are clearly employee-related (i.e. expenses you incur in the business of being an employee, including maintaining a home office) would be eliminated.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2017 12:14PM by iwahstore.
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November 30, 2017 01:23PM
We do NOT claim our expenses on the 1040 form, where W-2 employees claim theirs. They lose that write off but gain much larger standard deductions. We are business owners/ form 1099 self-employed and file all those expenses on Schedule C and then carry the resulting net income forward to the form 1040. Believe me, many associations representing business owners who are "pass through" tax payers like we are, would be rioting in the streets if they (doctors, lawyers, family owned farm chiefs, etc) if the schedule C deductions for vehicle expenses were in danger. As much as I hate the whole tax bill as it now stands, we are not losing our main write off. (At least those of us who are reporting it in the correct place.)

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
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