| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: Would you say that it's difficult to be a freelancer in the country in which you live? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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dasein_wm wrote: Gianluca Marras wrote:
Very interesting poll.
In Italy being a freelancer is a sort of nightmare, for several reasons:
- taxes taxes taxes, but in case you have a problem, no coverage.
- you are considered a "tax evader", just because you "might potentially have the chance to evade"
- you have to submit a lot of (useless) documents every year, which increase the cost of your accountant, but which offer the state a wonderful facade to hide the fact that politicians are not interested in fighting the tax evasion
Then we we speak about Freelance Translators, well there is also a number of "nice" comments you might receive, the nicest I have received just a few weeks ago is:
"this is not a job, it is just a hobby, and what is the effort?"
I agree with everything Gianluca wrote here (as I, too, live in Italy), but strangely my response to the question was 'No, not really'. I suppose I am simply resigned to the amount of taxes I pay. I'm not happy about them mind you but I definitely knew what I was getting into before taking the plunge a few years ago. As far as other people considering what I do as a mere hobby, I comfort myself in the knowledge that the 'hobby' is supporting my family of four quite well and that if the other person doesn't understand my vocation it is simply because people in Italy are generally ignorant of other languages on account of the amount of media that is translated and dubbed for them. They have the benefit of the result of our labor without ever thinking about the effort that went into allowing them to remain monolingual. I hope I don't sound too caustic with that last opinion, but I would say 95% percent of the people I know really have no idea what I do. It used to bother me, now it is more of a badge of honor.
I agree with both of you.
As for Italy, I would add that being freelance we pay the highest percentage (27.72% currently) of contributions for retirement (at least those who are in the "Gestione separata INPS" system) which is really a shame.
[Modificato alle 2013-01-04 14:01 GMT]
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Pierluigi Bernardini wrote: dasein_wm wrote: Gianluca Marras wrote:
Very interesting poll.
In Italy being a freelancer is a sort of nightmare, for several reasons:
- taxes taxes taxes, but in case you have a problem, no coverage.
- you are considered a "tax evader", just because you "might potentially have the chance to evade"
- you have to submit a lot of (useless) documents every year, which increase the cost of your accountant, but which offer the state a wonderful facade to hide the fact that politicians are not interested in fighting the tax evasion
Then we we speak about Freelance Translators, well there is also a number of "nice" comments you might receive, the nicest I have received just a few weeks ago is:
"this is not a job, it is just a hobby, and what is the effort?"
I agree with everything Gianluca wrote here (as I, too, live in Italy), but strangely my response to the question was 'No, not really'. I suppose I am simply resigned to the amount of taxes I pay. I'm not happy about them mind you but I definitely knew what I was getting into before taking the plunge a few years ago. As far as other people considering what I do as a mere hobby, I comfort myself in the knowledge that the 'hobby' is supporting my family of four quite well and that if the other person doesn't understand my vocation it is simply because people in Italy are generally ignorant of other languages on account of the amount of media that is translated and dubbed for them. They have the benefit of the result of our labor without ever thinking about the effort that went into allowing them to remain monolingual. I hope I don't sound too caustic with that last opinion, but I would say 95% percent of the people I know really have no idea what I do. It used to bother me, now it is more of a badge of honor. I agree with both of you. As for Italy, I would add that being freelance we pay the highest percentage (27.72% currently) of contributions for retirement (at least those who are in the "Gestione separata INPS" system) which is really a shame. [Modificato alle 2013-01-04 14:01 GMT]
And not mention that we are pretty sure that in Italy we will not receive any money when we retire !!!!
| | | | DianeGM 
Local time: 16:29
Member (2006)
Dutch to English
+ ...
| @ my colleagues residing in Spain and Italy | Jan 4, 2013 |
I sympathise and empathise with everything you have said.
Sometimes we are appreciated and a little solidarity can go a long way
On 18/12 I received a message with a [not even due yet] payment from a Spanish translation agency I work for which said:
“For reasons of European debt restructuring, we are paying the invoices of all our southern European and Irish colleagues early, before the end of the year.
Feliz Navidad!”
| | | | maryblack
United States
Local time: 08:29
Member (2013)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Spain vs. U.S. | Jan 4, 2013 |
In Spain, the hoops you have to jump through to get started are more cumbersome, but once my business was up and running it was a no-brainer.
In the U.S., there are many fewer hoops, but two major drawbacks, unlike Spain: no health insurance, which is ungodly-expensive here, and 13.5% social security payments, plus federal tax and state tax.
I paid less in Spain and had more benefits... So much for the U.S. being the land of opportunity!
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Henry Hinds
United States
Local time: 07:29
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam
Being a freelancer in the USA is no problem. Yes, taxes must be paid, no escaping that, including 100% of social security taxes when employees get 50% of that paid by their employer. But there is no registration, no nothing; it is merely included as business income, and expenses may be deducted.
Translation is also a totally unregulated profession in the USA, anyone can do it (or try). However, it is a definite plus to have some credentials and I do have some.
I might a... See more Being a freelancer in the USA is no problem. Yes, taxes must be paid, no escaping that, including 100% of social security taxes when employees get 50% of that paid by their employer. But there is no registration, no nothing; it is merely included as business income, and expenses may be deducted.
Translation is also a totally unregulated profession in the USA, anyone can do it (or try). However, it is a definite plus to have some credentials and I do have some.
I might add that after seeing what my colleagues in Europe and other countries must endure, I am glad to live in the USA, and for many reasons. We can certainly criticize our country in many ways (we still have that right), but I have yet to find a better one.
[Editado a las 2013-01-04 17:35 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Easy peasy... | Jan 4, 2013 |
At the risk of controversy, I think the tax system in the UK is both simple and fair. I have never needed to employ an accountant and have always found personal and telephone contact with the Inland Revenue to be pleasant and helpful.
Add to that a social security "safety net" and an excellent health service and quite honestly, there is nowhere I would rather work as a freelancer.
Steve K.
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Gianluca Marras wrote: Pierluigi Bernardini wrote: dasein_wm wrote: Gianluca Marras wrote:
Very interesting poll.
In Italy being a freelancer is a sort of nightmare, for several reasons:
- taxes taxes taxes, but in case you have a problem, no coverage.
- you are considered a "tax evader", just because you "might potentially have the chance to evade"
- you have to submit a lot of (useless) documents every year, which increase the cost of your accountant, but which offer the state a wonderful facade to hide the fact that politicians are not interested in fighting the tax evasion
Then we we speak about Freelance Translators, well there is also a number of "nice" comments you might receive, the nicest I have received just a few weeks ago is:
"this is not a job, it is just a hobby, and what is the effort?"
I agree with everything Gianluca wrote here (as I, too, live in Italy), but strangely my response to the question was 'No, not really'. I suppose I am simply resigned to the amount of taxes I pay. I'm not happy about them mind you but I definitely knew what I was getting into before taking the plunge a few years ago. As far as other people considering what I do as a mere hobby, I comfort myself in the knowledge that the 'hobby' is supporting my family of four quite well and that if the other person doesn't understand my vocation it is simply because people in Italy are generally ignorant of other languages on account of the amount of media that is translated and dubbed for them. They have the benefit of the result of our labor without ever thinking about the effort that went into allowing them to remain monolingual. I hope I don't sound too caustic with that last opinion, but I would say 95% percent of the people I know really have no idea what I do. It used to bother me, now it is more of a badge of honor. I agree with both of you. As for Italy, I would add that being freelance we pay the highest percentage (27.72% currently) of contributions for retirement (at least those who are in the "Gestione separata INPS" system) which is really a shame. [Modificato alle 2013-01-04 14:01 GMT] And not mention that we are pretty sure that in Italy we will not receive any money when we retire !!!!
Of course, the "gestione seprata INPS" is a cancer... if we get a pension, we will receive peanuts even though we have paid lots of social security contributions. I hope that laws will soon change and this absurd system will cease to exist.
:\
| | | | Mary Keramida
Local time: 16:29
Member (2012)
English to Greek
+ ...
2013: In Greece freelancers will be kindly requested to pay more in taxes, so I cannot say that I do feel or I'm happy about that.
So, each and every year things get more complicated!
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JanaB
Germany
Local time: 15:29
English to German
| Germany vs. UK | Jan 4, 2013 |
Steve Kerry wrote:
At the risk of controversy, I think the tax system in the UK is both simple and fair. I have never needed to employ an accountant and have always found personal and telephone contact with the Inland Revenue to be pleasant and helpful.
Add to that a social security "safety net" and an excellent health service and quite honestly, there is nowhere I would rather work as a freelancer.
Steve K.
I perfectly agree with Steve. Especially in terms of health service, being a freelancer in the UK does not seem to be as tough as in Germany. As far as I know, freelancers in the UK are insured by the National Health Service and their contributions are calculated based on their yearly profits. This sounds like 'paradise' to me.
In Germany they literally kick you out of the National Health Insurance system and you have to get privately insured, which costs you hundreds of Euros a month with ridiculously high deductibles. Not to mentioned that you need to have your own private retirement plan as well.
There are rumours about the implementation of a health system compared to the one in the UK. That would definitely make life of freelancers much easier in Germany:-)
| | | | Erzsébet Czopyk
Hungary
Local time: 15:29
Member (2006)
Russian to Hungarian
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
In Hungary being a freelancer = walking in a total darkness with a single candle
- taxestaxestaxestaxestaxestaxesfeesfeesfeestaxestaxestaxes
| | | | inkweaver
Germany
Local time: 15:29
French to German
+ ...
JanaB wrote:
In Germany they literally kick you out of the National Health Insurance system and you have to get privately insured, which costs you hundreds of Euros a month with ridiculously high deductibles.
Where did you get that idea from? Of course you can choose to remain in the National Health Insurance system... Still costs you hundreds of Euros a month, though.
JanaB wrote:
There are rumours about the implementation of a health system compared to the one in the UK. That would definitely make life of freelancers much easier in Germany:-)
Really? When did anything change for the better in Germany? But if this should happen I would be more than delighted if the same threshold for having to charge VAT as in the UK would be introduced as well. Would save me a lot of (virtual) paperwork which I would gladly do without.
Personally, I think freelancing in Germany is not for the faint of heart. The tax system is complicated and IMO grossly unfair, then there is health assurance to pay (14.9 % if you opt for the National Health Insurance system plus 2.05 % statutory nursing care insurance plus an additional 0.25 % for those who don't have children), then you should have a private retirement plan etc. You should also have a fair amount of savings, just in case you get sick for a little longer than a couple of days. And don't even think that "just in case" you could fall back on the social security "safety net" unless you enjoy being humiliated and treated like scum...
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