Pay-By-Mile Floated As Alternative To Gas Tax For California Drivers

Wayne Essex New Post:

Originally posted on Alice@97.3:

SACRAMENTO (KPIX 5) – As complaints rise about the conditions of California’s bumpy roads rise, lawmakers say they may have a way to funnel more money toward road repair. To start, they’ll replace the gas tax.

The California Legislature is looking at a voluntary program that would eliminate the state’s gas tax, which is currently 2^nd highest in the nation at 52.9 cents per gallon. Instead, drivers would be subject to a tax based on vehicle miles traveled of a VMT tax.

“I’m very opposed,” said commuter Carmen Smith, one of many hybrid or electric car drives who paid a premium for their cars in order to save at the pump. “I bought a hybrid because of my drive.”

State Senator Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) just introduced a bill to test out the VMT Tax because the gas tax is no longer bringing in what it used to thanks to…

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Avoiding Audits

Tax season is, arguably, one of the most stressful times of year for individuals in the United States. With all the time individuals put into compiling documents and understanding filing options, it is easy to see why tax audits can be a cause for alarm after making it through such a hectic part of the year. Tax audits are extremely inconvenient, as they often will cost you time and the expense of being examined. Often, audits will also lead to a tax dispute. However, the good news is that it is fairly simple to avoid being audited as long as you remain organized and honest when filing your taxes.

One key thing to remember is that, to the IRS, everything is income and should be declared as such. This includes any foreign income or foreign bank accounts that are sometimes forgotten because foreign banks do not send Forms 1099. If you are audited, the IRS can ask for your bank records and determine if you have failed to declare all necessary items. Keeping good records is a great way to prevent this and can help get you of trouble at the beginning of the auditing process. Always check to make sure that the financial documents you are receiving are correct, especially Forms 1099. The IRS focuses on information return matching, so if the received documents about financial records aren’t consist, you may run into a problem.

Another easy way to make sure filing your taxes and the proceedings afterward run smoothly is to pay close attention to timing during tax season. Make sure you have a clear idea of what financial information you have to file for the current year and when you can claim deductions. When it comes to deductions, also make sure that you are not claiming false deductions. Seek advice if you are unsure about what qualifies as a legitimate deduction. However, it is usually easy to tell, if you are being honest with yourself, what financial activities qualify for deduction.

Using Public Speaking to Promote Your Brand

Good public speaking skills are essential to your career and personal goals. Opportunities that allow you to hone your communication skills should never be overlooked because effective communication can help you successfully convey ideas to management, clients, co-workers, or consumers. Having good public speaking skills can help you quickly establish credibility with an audience. This is important because communication is also a key part of marketing and building a brand. Whether you’re looking to build your client base or simply raise awareness about your company or product, consider adding presentations to your campaign.

Finding opportunities to speak may seem challenging at first. However, once you start looking for opportunities, you may be surprised by how many trade associations, charities, and other groups are looking for good speakers with interesting presentations. Booking your first presentation could be as easy as sending an organization a simple Email or giving them a call.

However, it is important to remember that if there aren’t many opportunities to be a guest speaker, you can create your own opportunities to speak about your brand or product. Consider conducting a self-hosted event where you book a location and invite potential customers to attend. Some hotels and notable business venues may even help you gain attendees by allowing you to invite people from their databases.

Whether you are presenting as a guest speaker or at your own event, the most important thing to remember is that you need be an interesting speaker and keep the audience engaged. Also, make sure that you are presenting information that seems valuable to your consumers. No one should feel like the main point of your speech is to sell something. Finally, make sure your presentation has a call to action that will turn your audience into prospects and paying clients. This can include offering to keep in touch after the presentation or offering informational handouts to your audience.

A Primer to Building Your Start-Up Infrastructure.

Wayne Essex New Post:

Originally posted on NEOS CHRONOS:

“You can be sure that when you have come up with a great idea, at least 10 other people in the world came up independently with the same great idea. The difference will be who is going to make it happen first”.

Building your start-up infrastructure can be a daunting task. Here is a list of proven, free, and easy to deploy tools that can help you save time and money.

Originally published on September 24, 2013. Go to the full article at http://ift.tt/1lMwoTf

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How to overcome the fear of public speaking?

Wayne Essex New Post:

Reblogged from Adrian Niculescu Blog:

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The Uneasy Speaker's Guide to Confident Public Speaking

Wayne Essex New Post:

Reblogged from Rod Schulhauser:

The Uneasy Speaker's Guide to Confident Public Speaking.

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Five tips that will go a long way for a small business owner

Wayne Essex New Post:

There are a couple of tips you may want to consider according to a recent Forbes article if you’re a small business owner.

The first tip is to keep at least $1,000 in the bank. If you mentally think that $1,000 is zero dollars in your bank account then a number of things will run more smoothly. You will have less bounced checks, relationships will be better with contractors and vendors, and finally you’ll be in a better state of mind knowing that you have capital in bank.

Be on time is the second tip. 90% of life is about showing up. If you are five minutes earlier as opposed to five minutes late people will take you more seriously. Your relationships will be stronger, which in turn will lead to more deals and more trust.

Respond quickly is the third. This is a simple as it sounds. Get back to people and customers quickly. Those small things don’t go unnoticed and you’ll be rewarded down the line if not immediately.

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