A recent email to shoppers encourages them to join the ICPro (Independent Contractor) national database. They say a membership "badge" will appear before your name getting you more shops.

If you are an established shopper, schedulers will already know you as reliable. If you are new to MS, you will build your rep over the year.

If you join this national database, all of your shop history may be available at one location. Think of it. The number of shops you have done for the year, the total amount of all of your fees, the total value of your reimbursed expenses--all of this available to any federal, state or local official interested in knowing more about your personal business.

Spread the word to shopper friends and other forums. Don't join ICPro!

hit submit twice....oy vey!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2010 06:10PM by Irene_L.A..

Thanks for the info...I was wondering what benefit it would bring to shoppers!

There is already a thread on this forum where the OP here has made this point and others, more level-headed regulars on this forum, have responded. Even some of us who rarely agree, happen to agree that samwise is a bit paranoid about this. Please check out the orifginal thread.

I would hope that the moderator would consolidate this with the other thread so that readers can see everything on the subject in one place/

I still don't fully understand why that is such a big deal. So we'd be required to actually pay our taxes instead of slipping under the radar. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought taxes were the law...

It isn't even an issue of being required to pay taxes. Of course that is required by law anyway and IC Pro has no involvement in that at all. And as Walesmaven pointed out, there is the discussion in the other thread.

pixie_dust_711 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I still don't fully understand why that is such a
> big deal. So we'd be required to actually pay our
> taxes instead of slipping under the radar. Correct
> me if I'm wrong, but I thought taxes were the
> law...


Taxes are apparently sam's issue but are not relevant for most shoppers to this IC PRO discussion. I pay taxes whether or not the MSP reports it, for me the issue is providing my data to a third party when I don't see a benefit to me.

Making $600.00 + with one company makes taxes a requirement, under that, well I'll never tell!!

That is obviously samwise's concern as well. Legally it is a tax obligation from $1 and if your CPA tells you otherwise, fire your CPA as they can only get you in trouble.

$600 is the amount whereby MSPs generate a 1099. It should not be construed to mean taxes are not required for less than that amount.

Even if a shopper earns under $600 with a MSP and does not receive a 1099, taxes are still owed on the earnings. If a shopper's tax return is audited, IRS will know very quickly that there is unreported income and the shopper will owe additional money. Samwise is apparently concerned that this is an additional way for taxing authorities to know that income might be under reported. I don't see IRS identifying tax avoiders by some third party's database, but it would be possible. It would certainly be additional documentation of the tax avoidance.

Samwise here. Looks like I'm being labeled.as a tax cheat trying to avoid 1099's and such. (BTW, Datatron sent me one for $59.) The fact is that reported shop income allows me to contribute to my Roth IRA, a 100% non-taxable investment never taxed no matter how much it grows,

My motive is privacy. It's bad enough that 35+ MS companies have my SS#.
All it takes is just one rogue employee... But now I sound paranoid.

I just don't feel right about all of my work activity being located in one central area. It seems I'm not alone in this. I will comply if given a convincing argument. Have you got one?

Samwise, I've seen nothing about them aggregating your work history so I have no idea where you are getting that.

I absolutely agree that I see no reason whatsoever for them to have my information and frankly I wonder about the advisability (or lack thereof) in working with companies so paranoid that they want to see my IC Pro logo to prove I'm "real". If the boogey man is around every corner, chances are good I am a cheat as well. No thanks! I like an open, honest, sane working relationship.

Between this thread and the other one, I don't know why so many seem to assume that just because someone does not want to sign up with ICPro that is means they are trying to avoid paying taxes.

I've seen a lot of posters that are reluctant to give their SSN to well known MSPs so why is it so surprising that some don't want to give it a third party?

I agree, Lisa, I am not willing to sign up with IC PRO because I see no reason to provide my personal information to some third party. At the same time, the income I report comes from my personal records. If I earned it, I report it, even if there is no 1099. I suspect very few shoppers cheat on their income tax by not reporting income if they earned less than $600 and did not get a 1099.

Every once in a while the issue of falsification of shop reports comes up and almost all the shoppers here say falsification is totally wrong and they would never do it and they encourage shoppers to complete reports honestly. Tax avoidance is a type of falsification - an very much illegal one - so I would say it is even worse than falsifying a shop report. Anyone who would not falsify a shop report would certainly not falsify their taxes.

I looked at the website and thought it would be a good place to have all the sassies together. I started listing all that I have. I thought it was a little odd that I C Pro wanted my login information for each one. Then there was information wanted. It was a few days ago, but I believe it was a W4, which sounds like employee information.

I'm also curious why there are silver and gold badges beside each sassie name.

I asked my husband, who worked for a bank's IT department, and also did taxes, what he thought of it. He asked if I C Pro will be getting a cut of my payment. I told him that the other scheduling companies don't seem to make my payment lower, so probably they are paid up front by the MSP's.

I don't have a problem with a third party having my information since the scheduling companies themselves are third parties, and I work with third parties all the time while merchandising. Sometimes the one that hires me and pays me isn't the one I'm working for, and of course the client is different. As you know, sometimes we get a check from an unknown entity only to discover that it is the holding company, parent company, or whatever, of the company we did the work for (the MSP).

I can understand that samwise might be concerned. I also can understand that at some point government could overstep its bounds. What I don't understand is why mystery shoppers would think it would be bad to save time (and therefore money) by signing up with this company. I have already received a benefit from it by finding two sassie companies I didn't know existed.

Wouldn't the sassies still be the ones to send out 1099's, if they do that at all? Did I misread this?

Please explain further about all I have questioned/mentioned above. I have decided to hold off on any further action until I obtain additional information from others.

It's regrettable that some have drawn a non-existent link between taxes, 1099s and IC PRO registration. It is muddying the waters. Undoubtedly, informed and ethical taxpayers/shoppers realize this. Those with questions, should seek advice from their tax advisor.

SandraSue, I don't understand your post or position. You stated that you have already received a benefit, which was finding two sassie's you didn't know. Was that by virtue of registering with IC PRO? Next, you stated you were holding off on further action. What further action do you mean?

I do not think you sound like a tax cheat samwise. I can understand 100% why someone is not comfortable giving out their personal information. I had my identity stolen and it is a nightmare. It will follow someone for years. You are right when you say all it takes is one person.

I have no problem with IC Pro. They claim that if you're signed up you'll get first consideration for shops. I do know that since signing up I'm having my best month ever (I've never made over $100 in a month from a single MSP until now), but that could just be coincidence.

I have signed up with IC Pro and have seen a significant increase in getting shops. I kind of like going to one place to see most of my earnings. IC Pro shows what shops need to be done as well as the shops you have already done. They also send a invoice for every sassie shop you complete. Thats pretty good for being FREE. Although the shops I have on IC Pro are not all the companies but a software like this could potentially help the new MS shoppers keep an eye on their earnings. Just a thought.

I am glad to see that there is more business. On another board, I found a reference from months and months ago that shoppers were asking for something like this and sassie was considering it. The description fit I C Pro.

Mert, others are answering my questions. To answer yours, I gave information to I C Pro about the companies I'm registered with. That does not mean that I am registered with them. I am holding off signing up with them because I wanted to know whether I C Pro is what it says it is. The initial message announcing it covered a lot of ground (detailed on this forum) and sounded somewhat suspicious to many of us. No wonder samwise and others are making what you term a "regrettable", "non-existent" link to taxes, etc.

Sandra Sue Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am glad to see that there is more business. On
> another board, I found a reference from months and
> months ago that shoppers were asking for something
> like this and sassie was considering it. The
> description fit I C Pro.
>
> Mert, others are answering my questions. To
> answer yours, I gave information to I C Pro about
> the companies I'm registered with. That does not
> mean that I am registered with them. I am holding
> off signing up with them because I wanted to know
> whether I C Pro is what it says it is. The
> initial message announcing it covered a lot of
> ground (detailed on this forum) and sounded
> somewhat suspicious to many of us. No wonder
> samwise and others are making what you term a
> "regrettable", "non-existent" link to taxes, etc.


After 10 years of shopping, I signed up. It hasn't made a difference that is noticeable to me one way or the other. There are no Sassie companies that I have not worked with, so that might impact my impression. On the other hand, I don't see any issues with having them have my info. If I shop for Sassie companies, they have it anyway.

In the end, seems like John Hsu is keeping his bread buttered at home and in the marketplace. Impact for most shoppers already signed with all the Sassies? Probably only when shopping for those firms that are out there like Kern, crying for shoppers to support gold certifications and legislations designed to help MSP's and not shoppers.