Aaron Marcus explains why models working in Philadelphia might receive collection agency letters. Unlike union acting jobs where taxes are withheld, modeling gigs don't automatically deduct Philadelphia city taxes, and the city outsources collection to a third party. He paid the bill after confirming it was legitimate and advises models to watch for similar tax requirements in other cities.
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Hi, this is Aaron Marcus, and here is your weekly acting and modeling information. Hey, let me start off before I start giving you some information that actually is kind of disturbing. On a much brighter note, I just want to let you know I'm going to be making a whole lot of changes to HowToModel.com. And one of the things that I am wanting to do, and I wanted to ask for your help. Is I want to create a logo. And this is a logo that— I don't know. I just don't really think in these terms. And I'm hoping that perhaps you do and that you are a talented artist and you've got some interesting ideas. I'm trying to create a logo that basically deals with showing people how to get acting and modeling work. And so if you have any ideas, please email me, aaron@howtomodel.com. That's A-A-R-O-N at howtomodel.com. And For whoever's logo I choose to use on my updated website, I'm going to send you something really neat that you're going to like. So anyhow, please use your imagination and send it as soon as you can. So here's the deal, and I don't know if this is just a unique situation or if this is a trend that's going to be happening, but you need to know about it. I just got a letter from a collection agency. I don't like getting letters from collection agencies. The last one that I got, they were telling me that I didn't pay my bill at a store that actually I don't have a membership with. It was a different Aaron Marcus. Still, I don't like getting these phone calls. I don't like getting these letters. The one that I did just get Is legitimate, and it really is for me. Here's the story. I did a job in Philadelphia last year, and apparently— and I don't know how I was supposed to know this— I am supposed to pay city taxes in Philadelphia for any work that I do there. Now, for acting jobs, like when I shot the NBC show Do No Harm, that was shot in Philadelphia. And the tax is already taken out. It goes through what's called a paymaster because it's a union gig. And so I don't have to worry anything about that. And actually, my accountant files taxes. I can get money back because they took out taxes and I'm not a state resident of Pennsylvania or, or a city resident of Philadelphia. I have never in almost 30 years have had to pay city taxes for a modeling job that I did in a particular city, and I work in Many, many, many, many cities. So apparently what happens is the city of Philadelphia doesn't have the manpower to do this, so they farm it out to a collection agency, and any model that did a job in Philadelphia is required to pay city taxes. Now, I wouldn't have minded at all if they just sent me a bill, and I certainly would have sent them the money, but to get a letter from a collection agency, it's a little unnerving. So I spoke to the collection agency. I also spoke to the city. people in the city of Philadelphia just to make sure everything was legit. And I had to fill out a lot of paperwork. I had to write in the amounts. And basically I said, you know, send me a bill and I'll pay for it. So I just wanted to let you know about that. So number one, if you ever do shoot a modeling job in Philadelphia, be prepared. You've got to pay city taxes in Philadelphia, even though no taxes are taken out of modeling jobs. I've never had that, you know, in the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of modeling jobs that I've had. And I hope that this doesn't become a trend in other cities. And at least if you're told upfront, then that's, that's not bad at all. But to get letters from collection agencies, it feels kind of creepy. So anyhow, I just wanted to share that with you. So just to be prepared, if you do a modeling job in Philly, be prepared to pay city taxes. And also just be on the lookout just in case something happens like this in other cities across the United States, or maybe in Canada as well. I have no idea. Anyhow, I hope this was helpful to you, and please send in your ideas to me. Love to get them, and look forward to talking with you again real soon. I'm Aaron Marcus.
