Christmas is Coming

‘What do you want for Christmas, love?’  It was a little early but my Beloved likes to plan. So she asked the question straight after I’d finished unwrapping my birthday presents in July. I know from experience that it’s easiest to just go with the flow, but I don’t think that she expected my truthful answer.

‘I’d really love a huge encyclopaedia of criminal pathology please.’ It’s true, it’s what I really want, much more than the usual annual underwear upgrade, and as an author I’m all set. I’ve got a desk, paper and pens, a shiny new laptop and a printer. What else does someone who writes for a living really need? Apart from talent and a really good proffredder, obviously.

As I’m in the middle of a crime novel at the moment then a book about the criminal mind-set would be just the thing. I know that I could just trot down to my local nick and ask to interview some bad lads and lasses, but I don’t thing that would be tax deductible.

I’ve always been told by accountants that if, as a new business, you don’t make a sizeable loss in your first couple of years then you’re not trying hard enough. If my projected income for next year is as low as I suspect it will be then there will be no problems on that front .

But what would I legitimately be able to claim for as a business expense? I know that it’s a bad idea to say this publicly (as the tax man may be reading) but I don’t have any real expenses. I’m never required to travel anywhere for my work; I can email everything off, so there won’t be any delivery charges. All of my saleable stock comes from my imagination; it’s not as if I have to buy stories in and then sell them on. And I certainly don’t want the restriction of allocating a room in my house as a dedicated office. I like the idea that, if needs be, it can become a bedroom again at very short notice. All I have to do is unfold my sofa bed if the Beloved and I have a quarrel about something like stupid Christmas gift ideas. And when the time comes for us to sell, I really can’t be bothered with the business of working out capital gains tax on the one room, as would be required if I declared it as a designated work space.

So I’ll be self-employed with (initially at least) very little income and just about the same amount of outgoings. At least there won’t be many transaction charges on my bank account.

© Shaun Finnie 2011