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0 pointsCharlieDigital1y ago0 comments

    > There are millions of businesses which still operate largely on paper invoices and registers

It was a really easy report to file. It was mostly about the ownership structure. A lot of scare tactics out there to make money, but filing it was just a few clicks and I had to get some info from my co-founder.

I don't remember, but there's only like at most 10 screens and each is relatively short.

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ilamont1y ago

Tell it to my 70 year old stone mason who doesn't have a computer, uses his phone only for making calls, only issues paper invoices and estimates, and only takes paper checks.

Or the local restaurant owner from Guatemala in the nearest town who only takes cash, and has no mechanism for orders other than pointing at the menu or picking up the phone.

A fact that seems to be lost on many tech people in coastal cities is technology literacy is limited. A 2016 OECD skills survey laid out the problem with very deep data across developed countries:

https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/skills-matter_978926...

If you want a summary, this stat should stand out: "26% of adults were unable to use a computer"

https://www.nngroup.com/articles/computer-skill-levels/

bdangubic1y ago

you are 100% right... but "70 year old stone mason who doesn't have a computer" has to file taxes with the IRS. also "Or the local restaurant owner from Guatemala in the nearest town who only takes cash" also needs to file taxes with the IRS. this is as important of a thing as your Apr 15th deadline to file your returns. so this "low tech / no tech" really is a cop-out - if you are a business owner you have responsibilities or you'll get closed up or punished (or both) if you do not comply

insane_dreamer1y ago

The BFOI isn't require for Sole Proprietorships which is probably the case with your stone mason and maybe the restaurant owner too.

If they know enough to register and report as an LLC or Corporation then they likely know enough to fill out this report.

I agree with you on the disparity in tech knowledge among small businesses. And probably they'll never hear about this report.

CharlieDigitalOP1y ago

If you were a good Samaritan and actually concerned, you can literally sit down and finish this with them in a few minutes.

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