freelancing

HST for photographers

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Added: Much of this changed in 2012. Please see this government web page.

 

Photographers in Ontario and British Columbia (B.C.) know that their new Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) kicks in on July 1. The HST is called the “value-added tax” which sounds like a fast-food combo meal: for just a dollar more, you can up-size your tax to our new value-added tax.

Federal government page for the HST has lots of (confusing) information.

The HST will benefit large businesses and government. Gee, guess who got left out? The consumer. Business will save billions of dollars annually, the government will earn billions more in taxes, and consumers will pay billions more each year. Notice any kind of pattern here?
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Clean up your act

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Photographers, how often do you bathe? No, not wash yourself but how often do you clean your photo equipment?

After a particularly dusty, sandy or otherwise dirty job, I make it a point to clean all my cameras, lenses, laptop, flashes, light stands and other gear by using compressed air, isopropyl alcohol and sometimes an ammonia-based cleaner.

Depending on the item being cleaned, cotton or paper towels, lint-free wipes, a nylon brush, camel-hair brush and even a toothbrush can come in handy. This is also a good time to check that all the little screws in your equipment are tight.
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Paying Attention

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While working as a photographers’ representative for over three decades, Tony Luna said, in his 2006 book “How to Grow as a Photographer” (Allworth Press), that while he was showing portfolios to creative directors, art directors, photo buyers and various other editors, none of these people ever asked about a photographer’s university degree or college diploma. All that mattered was whether or not the photographer could produce good work on time and on budget.

This led Luna to point out: “Paying your tuition is not the same as paying your dues.”

 

HST tax and the photographer

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For professional photographers in British Columbia and Ontario: the new Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) starts on July 1, 2010, but the effects of this new tax start two months earlier on May 1st.

Starting in May, you must charge HST on any photography that will be delivered/completed on or after July 1st. If you complete a project and deliver the photographs before July 1st but invoice the customer after July 1st, then you must charge HST. Generally, the HST is applicable to any amount that becomes due on or after July 1st. But to no one’s surprise, there are several exceptions and special situations. Federal government information is here.

For clients who currently pay GST and PST, there will be no change in the total amount of tax they pay. For clients who now pay only GST, they will have to pay more tax. These latter (commercial) clients should be able to get the tax rebated to them.

The new HST will benefit registered photographers since it’ll be easier for them to claim tax credits for the provincial sales tax they pay on business purchases. But for consumers, the HST will do nothing but increase the amount of sales tax they pay.

 

Please check the date of this article because it contains information that may become out of date. Tax regulations, sales tax rules, copyright laws and privacy laws can change from time to time. Always check with proper government sources for up-to-date information.

 

Don’t forget your name

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Just a silly little tip for when you’re creating your business web site:

Remember to mention your business name on your web site.

One might think this is obvious and there’s no need to mention it. But no. I’ve just spent some time reviewing web sites for three other photographers, and noticed that none mentioned their own name.

Search engines need to see real text of your business name somewhere in your web pages. An image of your logo won’t work. A Flash or other type of movie displaying your brand name doesn’t help. It must be text.

A domain name isn’t good enough. A domain such as dianebrownphotography.com is viewed as one word: dianebrownphotography. Somewhere on the site, it must actually say Diane Brown Photography.

Saying “Diane shoots business portraits” or “Diane has won awards”, doesn’t work. You must type out your full company name. “Diane Brown Photography does executive portraits” or “Diane Brown is an award-winning photographer”.

Add it to various page texts, place it in meta tags, put it in alt or comment tags, or any other appropriate places.

Remember to mention your own name, so that people who are looking for you by name, can find you.

Take my job, please

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Fresh off the press (okay, fresh off my computer) is the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition. The electronic version was released in December 2009 and the print version should be released within a few weeks.

[Edit: Unfortunately, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics web page content changes with time so there are few static pages with archived data.]

Although it’s been described as “up-to-date and reliable”, it seems rather simplistic and behind-the-times in its descriptions. For example, it explains that “photographers take pictures of people, places, or things.”

It also mentions that photographers use film to create a picture but digital technology is being used more and more. It goes on to say that some photographers even use computers!
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Small Business Oath

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“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”

– attributed to Aristotle

A few years ago, when dealing with a large national media corporation, I pointed out that the company’s conduct was the exact opposite of its mission statement. The corporate lawyer laughed and said, “That [mission statement] is just for the public, it’s not for us.”

A code of conduct may not be needed by a small business because the owner is usually close to the “front lines”. So there’s little room for bad behaviour. But sadly, a big business can have plenty of such room.

Small business owners may want to create their own code of conduct, not just to impress their customers but also to remind themselves of why they are in business. Maybe something like:

As a small business owner, my purpose is to serve the customer without whom my business has no reason to exist. My business may be small in size but my pursuit of excellence shall be boundless. I promise:

• To run my business with integrity and the highest ethical standards.

• To treat customers fairly, honestly and with respect.

• To be responsible for my actions and accountable to my customers.

• To acknowledge and then, to the best of my abilities, repair any mistakes that I might make.

• To protect the interests of each customer as if they were my own.

• To improve myself and my business for the benefit of my customers.

• To be a good citizen of my community.

 

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