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Amazon freelance translator
Thread poster: d8701a
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:42
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Amusing Apr 8, 2020

It's amusing to read about Amazon's less-than-punctilious attention to contractual matters. I would never work for, or buy anything from, an enormous company that doesn't pay its taxes.

"New study deems Amazon worst for 'aggressive' tax avoidance "

https://tinyurl.com/yx78lu2h


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Philippe Etienne
Wolfgang Schoene
Angie Garbarino
Aisha Maniar
P.L.F. Persio
 
Korana Lasić
Korana Lasić  Identity Verified
Member
Serbian to English
+ ...
Oh, punctilious is a brilliant word Apr 8, 2020

Tom in London wrote:

It's amusing to read about Amazon's less-than-punctilious attention to contractual matters. I would never work for, or buy anything from, an enormous company that doesn't pay its taxes.

"New study deems Amazon worst for 'aggressive' tax avoidance "

https://tinyurl.com/yx78lu2h


I actually have a bookmark file called brilliant words. In it, I collect words I find attractive. I don't really do anything with it yet, it's a recent hobby of mine.

I'm sorry. I have hoovering and dusting (I am not looking forward to) waiting for me at my parents'. Damn me for being a saint who looks after her ailing parents. =) Thank you for punctilious Tom, it is a truly brilliant word. OK, better be off before I get banned from the forum for off-topic posts. Cheers Tom.

[Edited at 2020-04-08 08:26 GMT]


Fatine Echenique
Yeongeun Park
 
Anne Brackenborough (X)
Anne Brackenborough (X)  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 13:42
German to English
Anyone got any idea? Apr 8, 2020

I'd love to be able to visit my parents, and also to work for customers that have not shut down.

Anyone know if the e-mail is legit?


Korana Lasić
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:42
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Lockdown Apr 8, 2020

Korana Lasić wrote:

....I have hoovering and dusting (I am not looking forward to) waiting for me at my parents'.


Going on a journey from your home to your parents' home would not be permitted here. Evidently where you live, the coronavirus lockdown rules are less punctilious than they are here in the UK.

But returning to the topic: Jeff Bezos has enough money already. Let's not give him any more and let's not help him.



[Edited at 2020-04-08 11:36 GMT]


Korana Lasić
Viviane Marx
 
Anne Brackenborough (X)
Anne Brackenborough (X)  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 13:42
German to English
Anthropologically interesting response Apr 8, 2020

I wonder if this might be an example of a phenomenon that I coincidentally just heard about on a podcast: that in times of crisis, people tighten up their social norms and become more moralistic. Not to suggest that you don't normally have strong morals, Tom. But I wonder (not knowing you at all, so I may be way off the mark) if you would normally flaunt them quite so insistently while, notably, commenting on everything but the reason I gave for currently being interested in work I might normall... See more
I wonder if this might be an example of a phenomenon that I coincidentally just heard about on a podcast: that in times of crisis, people tighten up their social norms and become more moralistic. Not to suggest that you don't normally have strong morals, Tom. But I wonder (not knowing you at all, so I may be way off the mark) if you would normally flaunt them quite so insistently while, notably, commenting on everything but the reason I gave for currently being interested in work I might normally ignore.

The podcast was about the book also mentioned here:
https://www.ft.com/content/e6d31b74-8154-11e8-bc55-50daf11b720d
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Christopher Schröder
Fatine Echenique
Eric Azevedo
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:42
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Too late Apr 8, 2020

Anne Koth wrote:
.....


Too late for me, Anne. My morals went out the window a long time ago. I expect someone who also doesn't know me will now intervene to tell you all about me.

[Edited at 2020-04-08 12:19 GMT]


 
Anne Brackenborough (X)
Anne Brackenborough (X)  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 13:42
German to English
Playing tight and loose Apr 8, 2020

And there was me thinking you were clearly a fine, upstanding member of the community
The podcast is Hidden Brain, usually worth a listen.


 
Korana Lasić
Korana Lasić  Identity Verified
Member
Serbian to English
+ ...
Indeed! Apr 8, 2020

Tom in London wrote:

Korana Lasić wrote:

....I have hoovering and dusting (I am not looking forward to) waiting for me at my parents'.


Going on a journey from your home to your parents' home would not be permitted here. Evidently where you live, the coronavirus lockdown rules are less punctilious than they are here in the UK.

But returning to the topic: Jeff Bezos has enough money already. Let's not give him any more and let's not help him.



[Edited at 2020-04-08 11:36 GMT]


The lockdown and social distancing guidelines here (Bosnia) are actually more rigorous than in UK, and people have been surprisingly punctilious:) about it.

If you are wondering how a very troubled and barely functional country has managed this, well, it's because there was no economy to collapse by panicking and acting too soon. Unfortunately, or fortunately in these unfortunate times, Bosnian economy had completely collapsed some time ago but there you have it: Bosnia is, seemingly, quite a safe place to weather the pandemic in. I'm counting on it hoping to protect my mum and dad -- who both have underlying conditions and are extremely vulnerable -- from the virus. We are actually required by law here to wear disposable masks (or at the very least cover the mouth with a scarf) and gloves when leaving the house. There's a curfew from 8 PM till 5 AM and people younger than 18 and older than 65 are not to leave their homes under a threat of a fine unless the only way for them to get medicine and groceries is to do it themselves.

My dad fell ill in October and I've been helping them before the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, so we are self-isolating together. Their home is just divided into two different flats, the only difference being I actually cleaned theirs, this morning, and mine still looks like a crazy homeless person is squatting in it...

Right, I'm sorry about my off-topic ramblings, I will try and pull myself together now. Ta-ta everyone.


[Edited at 2020-04-08 13:11 GMT]


 
Korana Lasić
Korana Lasić  Identity Verified
Member
Serbian to English
+ ...
I hope you soon get to visit your parents, as well as work for the "evil billionaire capitalist" . Apr 8, 2020

Anne Koth wrote:

I'd love to be able to visit my parents, and also to work for customers that have not shut down.

Anyone know if the e-mail is legit?


It's OK I am a free market advocating, "low taxes bring about prosperity, whilst the welfare state actually keeps the poor in poverty" chanting, evil (and quite conservative) classical liberal. Tom already hates me, he just didn't know it till just now.

I know this will sound quite horrible of me, but I wish I was self-isolating in my own life and not someone else's.

I love my parents but this is not how I planned to spend my year.

I better stop complaining, I am beginning to sound as evil as the left-wing fans of high taxation think I am.

My best wishes to both you and Tom, Anne. Tom's a solid guy he is just a bit of a leftie grump, you shouldn't take it against him. He's been quite helpful and kind to me. You can see a heart in the right place underneath his grumpy demeanour.

Edit: Also, (Tiny Tim voice) God bless us, EVERYONE!



[Edited at 2020-04-08 14:12 GMT]


 
Magdalena Balibrea Vich
Magdalena Balibrea Vich  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 13:42
Member
English to Spanish
+ ...
You need to be an "autónomo" if you're based in Spain May 14, 2020

d8701a wrote:

If I'm a non-registered individual, how will I issue them an invoice? And I don't have any intentions of avoiding the tax, I just don't know who pays it

[Edited at 2019-09-11 14:04 GMT]


Then you can get your VAT ID and issue invoices. Otherwise, it is simply illegal or submerged economy.
As a law graduate, you should know that.

[Edited at 2020-05-14 14:03 GMT]


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:42
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Hrumph May 14, 2020

Korana Lasić wrote:

... Tom's a solid guy he is just a bit of a leftie grump, you shouldn't take it against him. He's been quite helpful and kind to me. You can see a heart in the right place underneath his grumpy demeanour.



Evidently I need to do more work on this. Not grumpy enough.


P.L.F. Persio
 
jteller
jteller
Poland
To continue the topic... May 27, 2020

I have also received this email, passed the test and now gotten the NDA and service agreement to sign. I have asked Amazon questions like:

As I am a Polish citizen, without a registered company, under what contract will this cooperation fall under (Umowa zlecenie, Umowa o dzieło)?– We are not able to assist with this query, please contact your local authorities. We have one standard contract for all vendors regardless of where they are providing services from.

... See more
I have also received this email, passed the test and now gotten the NDA and service agreement to sign. I have asked Amazon questions like:

As I am a Polish citizen, without a registered company, under what contract will this cooperation fall under (Umowa zlecenie, Umowa o dzieło)?– We are not able to assist with this query, please contact your local authorities. We have one standard contract for all vendors regardless of where they are providing services from.

Will Amazon deduct and pay the taxes (PIT form, by the end of each year) for me, or how does this look like? As you will be collaborating with an Amazon entity in Luxembourg, the reverse charge system applies for VAT. You should only add VAT to your invoices if you are VAT registered in Luxembourg. If you are VAT registered outside Luxembourg, the VAT rate on your invoices should be 0%. For any other taxes you might be required to pay in your local country, you need to contact local tax authorities.

As I do not have a registered company I understand that I, for now, do not have to take any further steps (except signing the Service agreement and NDA). When I complete work orders, I will simply fill out the PDF according to the Amazon Invoicing Instructions, and you will simply pay it out to given bank account? Please clarify this if I am mistaken.- As long as this kind of cooperation is in line with your national legislation, it is correct that you don’t need to take any further steps at this point. You can find further details about our invoicing process in Amazon Invoicing Instructions

I really would like to give this cooperation with Amazon a try, but I don't understand how I will pay my taxes for it (or if I can, without having a registered company). I asked Amazon at least twice if I need a company to cooperate with them, both times, they answer "no". However, how does it look like in reality, tax-wise, in a given country (Poland, in my case)? Is it possible to get paid from Amazon in the manner they have described in the Amazon Invoicing Instructions, without having to open a company? Please advise, if anyone knows.

I can add that, in Poland, where I am based, contacting local tax authorities is a waste of time, as they either don't know the answer to your questions (after being forwarded multiple times), or just make you feel bad for contacting them. Which is why I am hoping to find some help in here.

Best Regards
JT



[Edited at 2020-05-27 08:23 GMT]
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Philippe Etienne
Philippe Etienne  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 13:42
Member
English to French
Doing business May 27, 2020

jteller wrote:
...I don't understand how I will pay my taxes for it...

Your prospective clients don't either, and it is none of their business. They only have to comply with their local Luxembourg regulations and ensure they receive compliant invoices. Full stop.
To become a service provider, you must first and foremost know how to set up a business in your country. At the very least, I assume you need to register with your local tax authorities to do your income returns. Maybe you also need to have a VAT number.

Therefore open the yellow pages and contact an accountant locally, who knows about freelance/self-employed/independent service providers doing business internationally. It is also good practice to search the internet and read a lot about how to set up a business in your country of fiscal residence (not necessarily a company) and run it internationally.

"Amazon invoicing instructions" have nothing to do with how you should proceed with your own invoicing. Your invoices must comply with your local requirements. Amazon's instructions are meant to streamline their workflow, not yours. Make sure you fully understand and thoroughly comply with their terms and requirements.
An hypothetical example, any resemblance with present or past events would be fortuitous: payment by wire transfer with any bank fees on the way deducted from the amount, credit up to 90+ days after translation delivery, only if you don't make any mistake at submission, and only after the customer confirms it is delivered. A delay in confirmation or an invoicing error can extend this by 30 more days.
Other philosophies ensure 10 days net after translation delivery, with full amount stated on the invoice paid and near-real-time resolution in case of discrepancies with numbers.

The scale of the customer dictates in part how far they're allowed to go, and providers (us) have their own PITA thresholds to assess when requirements are no longer sustainable or viable. PITA thresholds often decrease with increased ageing, experience, competence and skills.

Good luck,
Philippe


jteller
 
Jean Dimitriadis
Jean Dimitriadis  Identity Verified
English to French
+ ...
PITA (OT) May 27, 2020

You can have your PITA and eat it too. Is that what you are saying, in essence, Philippe?

Philippe Etienne
 
Teresa Paula Lopes de Barros
Teresa Paula Lopes de Barros
Cape Verde
Local time: 11:42
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Error of judgement May 27, 2020

I hope this pandemic is not twisting our judgement.
The solution for this case is to simply fill the vendor form with a local VAT number.


 
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