One of the things that irritates me the most is when bureaucracy asks me to pigeonhole my work into categories, for the infamous "Studi di settore" (Industry Sector Studies). Basically, you have to declare how much of your revenue comes from a specific, pre-defined box. The problem is that this is easy for those who sell something (hardware, services, licenses, etc.), but it's almost impossible for someone like me, who tries to have a more varied approach. I always end up having to make approximate choices that are potentially, partially wrong. If I provide a mini PC with a FreeBSD installation inside it as part of a "solution for..." kit, it is neither hardware sales nor software development. But this, clearly, cannot be known to whoever designs these forms.
And, in my eyes, this remains an ideological short-circuit.
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@stefano this bugs me too…as an independent contractor, the only thing that comes remotely close is "Computer systems design & related services" which seems like a broad mischaracterization of what I do. 🤷
Governments want to put us all in boxes.
Take comfort in knowing that our businesses are too small for them to care about, and whatever answers you give are statistically irrelevant.
@mwl They're more focused on getting money from us than from the big players. And that's the most annoying thing: if they find out I've made a mistake (and fine me a few hundred or thousand euros), I'll have to pay. Been there, done that. When they demand 1 billion euros from Google, Google will pay 326 million euros - and they'll be satisfied. It's infuriating.
@stefano There is that, yes.
Here in the US, I am increasingly using large business tax rules to minimize my taxes. It helps that our current leadership gutted the tax service and they can't afford to watch us little guys any more.
(For the record: I want to pay my fair share. I want the big corps to also pay their fair share.)
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