Artists are the operators of small businesses. In some senses, the artist is the product as well as the proprietor. Sometimes homes and vehicles and other common household equipment is involved in the business process, plus the specialized equipment and training of the artistic trades.
For those who create, being an artist has an effect on their expenses and income, which in turn has an effect on their tax profile. The Community Arts Council is helping artists understand how to approach the fiscal year end. A seminar is being offered tonight for the benefit of artists as they fill out their tax forms.
"This session will help you understand the business forms to complete with your tax return, and tell you what to record where," said Matt Hutcheon, the tax specialist leading the discussion as a volunteer. "You'll receive information tailored for the business of your art about how to report your revenue and expenses, and get great ideas and suggestions of things to write off that you might not have thought of."
"Matt has more than 20 years of experience preparing small business taxes. A number of his clients over the years have been artists and artisans," said CAC board member Marnie Hamagami.
"He moved to Prince George in the past couple of years from Kingston, Ontario, and he had conducted this exact same seminar there. He wanted to apply his skills and experience to his new community, so we worked this out."
Hamagami said it was a perfect fit with the CAC's mandate as the chief agency fostering the arts within the Prince George region.
"One of the most important ways we can do that is to bring business knowledge directly to artists, so they get a stronger sense of how to operate as the business they are, and to receive the best tax benefits they can, so they can do what they do even more," said Hamagami.
All artists and artisans interested in this tax information are invited to attend this free information session tonight at 7 p.m. at the Studio 2880 Gift Shop building.
