Here is an “Uber car” parked outside my office. And here’s
what’s wrong with the picture.
1.
The car has a regular license plate for a
passenger car. But it’s also a commercial car. Taxis pay much higher motor
vehicle fees. If you own a commercial van or truck, you pay higher fees, too. Probably not this guy. (The Chicago tag above the Uber tag appears to be for permit parking in Chicago, apparently unrelated to driving for Uber.)
2. Did your employer report all your income to federal and state authorities? Yes, of
course. Did Uber report this driver’s income? Not likely because he or she is misclassified
as an independent contractor. So, this driver is on the honor system for
reporting all of his or her income. What’s that? You question whether that happened?
3. This car might be insured under a regular
driver policy, not a commercial policy. Now, if the driver gets in an accident
while driving a passenger and files a claim, or has a claim filed against him
or her, the insurance company might not know the car was used for commercial
purposes. If, however, the insurance company actually knew the car was used for
commerce, the policy would be priced higher to reflect greater risk and
larger liability. Again, all of this depends on the driver’s honesty…. Now, if
he or she is an angel, he or she won’t file a claim and will pay out of pocket because
otherwise, this might be insurance fraud.
4. Illinois
and the U.S. have budgets that need to be cut, and likely, taxes to be raised.
But before we do that, how about we
simply enforce existing tax codes to make sure everyone pays their fair share?
We could start with this car, and its driver, and also with Uber.
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