MicrostockGroup

one rule in particular:

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If you are a "US Person" as said term is defined by the IRS, a signed and completed IRS form W9 must be submitted to Shutterstock for Shutterstock to make payments to you. You will receive an email containing instructions on how to download and submit this IRS form to us. A W9 is used to certify under penalties of perjury that your social security number is correct and that you are not subject to backup withholding taxes. Foreign persons might be subject to U.S. income tax on income they receive from U.S. sources. If you are a "Foreign Person" as said term is defined by the IRS, a signed and completed IRS form W8 must be submitted to Shutterstock in order for you to claim a reduced rate of, or exemption from, withholding as a resident of a foreign country with which the United States has an income tax treaty. You will receive an email containing instructions on how to download and submit this IRS form to us.
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what does it mean? If I live in Bosnia (europe) do I have to submit those documents or what?

Peter!

You will receive an email containing instructions on how to download and submit this IRS form to us.

Don't worry, they will send instructions to us!

So if I submitted my W-9 last year, do I have to do it again this year? Or is it just a one time thing?

I think you will be (with the W8) exempt from taxation in the U.S. as a stranger .

You will decide whether you will report this earnings in your own country , as any other earnings that are not under the jurisdiction of your country...
W8 is only for agency  to report that they can send your income to you freely...

It should just be a one-time thing unless something has changed in your info or filing status. 

I assume if they need another one they will send an e-mail.  BigStock has asked me to update my info every year at this time, but I think that is for their benefit.  It isn't necessary fro the IRS.

I living in the country when you say stock photography, everyone says "what? you sell photos of cows?? (which of course I do as poor selling stock ,  then you explain selling photos in libraries on the net and you can see on plenty of peoples faces they are thinking porn

Phil

Why would I pay any tax?! It is ridiculous to pay a tax in my country, when I earn money outside my country. My country did nothing to provide me this job. I did all by myself. Why should I pay them anything?

A lot of people from bosnia work in Iraq with US companies, they earn about 5.000$ per month, and they dont pay any tax to the country! So why should I?! pft.... they can kiss my as*..... 

Peter,

You're not earning money outside your country, you're operating your business from within your country aren't you, it just happens that you sell internationally.
It's no different than if you had a factory producing toys and ditributed them abroad, you'd still pay taxes on the profits you make within your own country.

The people you mention in Iraq are in a completely different situation because they are physically there.

That tells us a lot about your country. Well our country are neighbors so I know a lot about it but whole world will learn a lot about Bosnia and Hercegovina by your words. Me as a neighbor probbably can try understand why you are doing that but on the other hand even I can't understand it.
Even those people in Iraq has to pay taxes because their residence is in Bosnia. If they change residence to Monte Carlo, like most of the tennis players, they has to pay taxes to the government of Monte Carlo.
But in 21st in the middle of the "Old world" means Europe there is one country where is no law or at least their residents don't respect their own country.
But to be truth about it and to be honest to the rest of people who read this and don't understand why, this problem isn't in Peter or BiH residents. Problem is in recent war and politicians witch doesn't want to respect law. They are first who don't do things by the law.
So who other will.
Well you all in BiH has to learn why are you paying taxes. Not because you are earning outside your country but because you are living in it. 
Me, as living in a neighbor country, I hope that you will one day has a decent government and pay taxes to your country. Best wishes to you all there!

The thing is that most countries have a law that you dont have to pay nothing if you earn it abroad and you were living abroad while working for certain amount of days in that year and payed taxes there ( In Croatia is something about more than 196 day yearly ) , and Im sure similar law stands in Bosnia so , Peter that's why most people don't have to pay nothing.

Even if that country doesn't have an agreement on avoiding double taxes with Croatia, here  you dont have to pay nothing , but you have to prove that you were absent more than 196 days in that year and that you payed your taxes there.

If you had work there for less than 196 days and agreement between 2 countries doesn't exist you will pay double taxes , in the same way RT wrote , 100$ earned , 30% tax payed abroad , you pay whatever % you pay in your country on the sum of 70$.

I think all ex YU countries don't have that agreement so if US charge us we would have to pay taxes once again in our countries on the amount that was left after paying firs tax in US , but I hope it wont happen.





Anyway , out of the theme , Im curious , if someone wants to share how much taxes you others have to pay in your countries on microstock income ?


In Croatia it something like this :


Lets say you got 1000$ on your bank account this month.

The law protects authors work so you pay your tax in the way that 30% of your income is nontaxable.

So you have 700$ on which you have to pay:

1) 25%  like main tax which is 175$

2) there is tax on tax you pay to the town you live in , that varies from county to county , but is 18% for me so I have to pay 18% on those 175$ of my main tax, and that's
 31,5$.

So that would be 1000 - 175 - 31,5 = 793,50$.

I would also have to give a piece of those 793$ to social insurance but you don't have to pay that cause that authors work law  protects copyrighted work from that share.


I guess its not that big share comparing with some other countries.

Bad thing is that you cant be compensated for your work expenses paying that way , but you would have to start a small business , but those morons told me
I would have to issue a bill for every image sold , and I would have to bother with ton of paperwork and stuff like that that I'm not yet ready to play with.





 




 

Ok, I'm from Serbia, should I expect the same email to be received? Or they act randomly on this issue.

I have no antivirus sw, I'm using Mac