Re: Tipping restaurant servers: Interesting

Cakers3 · ‎06-17-2015

@Yardliewrote:
@Veneziawrote:
@Shelbellewrote:
My nail salon has a sign hanging up that says, Please tip in cash.
Which tells you that they certainly aren't declaring the tips as income! I would be asking them why I had to tip in cash, if I was paying with a CC otherwise. Be interesting to hear their answer.
@Venezia ... Our pharmacist requires us to pay in cash or by debit card. If we use a credit card, he adds on a surcharge. He said that the company that processes credit cards charge him between 2 and 4% per transaction. If that is the case, I guess business people don't want tips reduced by the transaction fee while they still have to give the server the entire tip. 4% seems kind of high to process a credit card transaction.

@Yardlie You need to check the laws in your state. Your pharmacist can ask for cash or debit card but he may be violating state law by charging a surcharge for credit card use.

"" Compassion is a verb."-Thich Nhat Hanh

jackthebear · ‎03-11-2010

@Yardliewrote:
@Veneziawrote:
@Shelbellewrote:
My nail salon has a sign hanging up that says, Please tip in cash.
Which tells you that they certainly aren't declaring the tips as income! I would be asking them why I had to tip in cash, if I was paying with a CC otherwise. Be interesting to hear their answer.
@Venezia ... Our pharmacist requires us to pay in cash or by debit card. If we use a credit card, he adds on a surcharge. He said that the company that processes credit cards charge him between 2 and 4% per transaction. If that is the case, I guess business people don't want tips reduced by the transaction fee while they still have to give the server the entire tip. 4% seems kind of high to process a credit card transaction.

I don’t think that’s legal

NYC Susan · ‎03-13-2010

@ZoetheCatwrote:
I tend to be a "live and let live" kind of person, and so am not in the business of telling others what they should or should not do. I try to behave in a way that lets me sleep at night, and figure that other people have to live with their own ethical choices as well. So, I don't get all that worked up about whether restaurant servers do or do not claim their tips as income.

Having said that, I have to add that I'm really dismayed at the attitude, which seems to be prevalent these days, that not paying taxes is something to be proud of. I'm specifiacally thinking of the commercials advertising the firms that help people avoid the IRS. All the self-congratulation about paying a fraction of what was owed. These people were obviously working, so why couldn't they pay their taxes? I understand that there may be extenuating circumstances (for example, someone who has a small business and got behind on payroll taxes), but, generally speaking, just pay your taxes.

As other posters have noted, restaurant servers do work hard, but so do many others who have no choice in the matter of paying taxes. It is automatically deducted from their pay.

Hubby and I have always paid pretty high taxes due to the fact that we've never had much of a mortgage, have no children, have investment income, etc. Do we like paying taxes? No. Who does? But I look at it as the price of living in a civil society.

Exactly.

If income is supposed to be reported, then it should be reported. I don't think there's any excuse for not doing so.