We survived the show ! It went really well. Sold out (or nearly) for the first two, and about half-house for the third. Nobody screwed up ! And no psycho-drama ! Go us ! We even got in the local paper (the Wellington equivalent of the City Paper).
I can’t wait to see the video.
So, as many of you know, I am currently “self employed”, working as science writer from home. To get paid, I needed to be registered for GST (Goods and Services Tax), since I need to charge GST for my services. About a week after I registered (which you can do entirely on the web, as the IRD has a nice web site that allows you to do lots of common clerical stuff easily) I got a call from a fellow at the IRD (inland revenue department), asking if I had any questions about GST. I did, we chatted for a few minutes, and he realized I had many questions- so I made and appointment to go in and talk. Now, all my IRS instincts cried “RUNNNNN!!!!”, but he sounded friendly enough.
Yesterday we had our meeting, and it was very useful. Our tax situation is going to be a bit complicated. Being self-employeed is not a huge issue. What makes it complicated is that not only am I running a business from my home, but I am also co-running a farm in partnership with Tamara. And this farm happens to surround our home. That’s when things get complicated and messy. For this first year we will certainly need an accountant’s help. After that, we should be able to take care of it ourselves, unless we embark into yet deeper financial weirdness. The good an comforting news is that IRD seems to be genuinely helpful. I have been told that apparently they made a department-wide decision a few years ago to be nice and helpful, as opposed to evil baby-eaters. So long as you try earnestly and honestly to do your taxes correctly, they won’t messily devour you. If you cheat… well, I think they still have some of the old baby-eating auditors locked away in the basement for just that situation. Now to collect old receipts for farm-related purchases and see how much we can get in a refund this year!