General Discussion

income, above a certain thresh hold, is supposed to be taxable. Do you disagree with this basic premise? And, yes - reporting is necessary to come to any kind of fair determination of what that tax ought to be. How else? Ebay (as an example) already has these figures readily available and at their finger tips ... So why not .. ?

My term(s) 'casual' and 'common sense' (although maybe not the best wording) were offered to describe things (as offered in previous post) such as an 'occasional' baby sitting job - or maybe the $5-10 dollars you got for turning in your bottles and cans at the recycling center - the 5er somebody handed you when you helped jump their car in the parking lot. On the other hand - if that same teenager is actually a hired nanny/au-pair - and as a result is making some standard (and predictable) wage? - then that is obviously something that should be reported. Same thing with the guy (or girl) that is (routinely) doing your yard - for an agreed upon sum/wage. (and doing the same for others, six days a week) That's reportable income. And should be.