5 ms·

Says more about how little tech workers are paid in Australia, than anything else. Work for Google in US and earn more than a hooker!

andreasklinger 9y ago
> Work for Google in US and earn more than a hooker! What a marketing claim
TeMPOraL 9y ago
...and then spend 90% of it on rent ;). Costs of life matter.
- pault 9y ago
  Australia ain't cheap.
joesb 9y ago
Have to account for stability of the job as well. How many people can work in sex markets in their 40s.
- sortaThrowaway 9y ago
  Sex work & the Valley, over 40? No job for you!
wsc981 9y ago
Hookers can probably avoid to pay much income tax, due to being paid in cash most of the time.
- mamon 9y ago
  In countries like Poland prostitution is actually tax-free, because if government took any money from a prostitute it would act like a pimp, which is illegal. Once upon a time it was the best excuse for those who had undisclosed income sources (other than prostitution). Recently tax offices started demanding proofs, like names of the clients.
  - joaomacp 9y ago
    Always fun to hear about these cat and mouse games of government vs. people who want to avoid taxes :)
  - jwilk 9y ago
    > Recently tax offices started demanding proofs, like names of the clients. Huh? That makes no sense. Why would naming a client proove anything? And why would sex workers know names of their clients?
    - mamon 9y ago
      I think it is more about getting the client's testimony confirming the deed. And you're right, prostitution is a business based on discretion, so most of the time prostitute would not know the name of her client. Bottom line is: they stopped taking a word for it and started demanding proofs.
    - jerf 9y ago
      Have you ever wondered why you have to provide receipts for reimbursement, despite the fact that the vast majority of people here could put together a forged receipt quite easily? It's not because the receipt proves anything. It's because if there was ever any question, it gives a validator something to actually validate, to call up the putative place of business and confirm the transaction and the size. It's one of those deals where the mere threat of being able to validate tends to keep the system humming along fairly well, even to the point that many of the participants have forgotten the justification for the system. Presumably there's someone out there routinely forging receipts for fun and profit but it must not be that big a fraud considered across the entire system. Same thing here.
    - logfromblammo 9y ago
      That "John Smith" really makes the rounds, doesn't he?
  - thriftwy 9y ago
    Why not take the money and hard redirect them to charity?
- azernik 9y ago
  This is very much not true. In the US, prostitutes are very punctilious about paying their tax bills, because the having a discrepancy between declared income and visible consumption is a quick way to land yourself on an auditor's desk. Remember, they got Al Capone for income tax evasion. The IRS is very open about this. A fellow HN commenter pointed me to this document [1], on which you should search for "Bribes" and "Stolen Property". Even if you don't want to trust to the IRS's confidentiality rules (for example, it won't share your tax return with law enforcement without a court order), it's still common practice to come up with another description for your income in order to pay tax on it. [1] https://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch12.html#en_US_2016_publink1000172062 https://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch12.html#en_US_2016_pu...
  - Sleeep 9y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_of_illegal_income_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_of_illegal_income_in_...
toomanybeersies 9y ago
Not sure where in America is paying $300 per hour for software developers.
- chii 9y ago
  in the valley as an "rockstar" iOS developer.
  - yellowapple 9y ago
    With $299.95 per hour in rent.
- tryingagainbro 9y ago
  I doubt they have 8 hour a day booked though :)
- dspillett 9y ago
  The number of hours you can practically work is an important factor, as are the risks (illness of various forms, exposure to dangerous customers, ...) that at best further reduce your earning potential for a while or at worse lead to complete curtailment and/or much pain (or even early death). Simply comparing the hourly pay rate is pretty meaningless when comparing job options like these that differ so massively in other factors. I'll keep my tech job if it is all the same to you. (not that I imagine many being willing to pay a good rate for an hour with my physical form, so the choice might not really be mine!)
- TallGuyShort 9y ago
  I can sit and code for 10 hours at a time without my genitals aching.
- fav_collector 9y ago
  $600,000/yr isn't that outlandish. You just need 30+ reports or do really good IC work
NTripleOne 9y ago
>Work for Google You do not work for Google though, you live for Google - work just happens to be the majority of your life. You don't live for prostitution, it pays the bills like any other non-life-consuming job.
- skj 9y ago
  Are you differentiating Google from other employers here, or making a more general comment on 9-5 style careers?

andreasklinger 9y ago

> Work for Google in US and earn more than a hooker! What a marketing claim

TeMPOraL 9y ago

...and then spend 90% of it on rent ;). Costs of life matter.

pault 9y ago
Australia ain't cheap.

joesb 9y ago

Have to account for stability of the job as well. How many people can work in sex markets in their 40s.

sortaThrowaway 9y ago
Sex work & the Valley, over 40? No job for you!

wsc981 9y ago

Hookers can probably avoid to pay much income tax, due to being paid in cash most of the time.

mamon 9y ago
In countries like Poland prostitution is actually tax-free, because if government took any money from a prostitute it would act like a pimp, which is illegal. Once upon a time it was the best excuse for those who had undisclosed income sources (other than prostitution). Recently tax offices started demanding proofs, like names of the clients.
- joaomacp 9y ago
  Always fun to hear about these cat and mouse games of government vs. people who want to avoid taxes :)
- jwilk 9y ago
  > Recently tax offices started demanding proofs, like names of the clients. Huh? That makes no sense. Why would naming a client proove anything? And why would sex workers know names of their clients?
  - mamon 9y ago
    I think it is more about getting the client's testimony confirming the deed. And you're right, prostitution is a business based on discretion, so most of the time prostitute would not know the name of her client. Bottom line is: they stopped taking a word for it and started demanding proofs.
  - jerf 9y ago
    Have you ever wondered why you have to provide receipts for reimbursement, despite the fact that the vast majority of people here could put together a forged receipt quite easily? It's not because the receipt proves anything. It's because if there was ever any question, it gives a validator something to actually validate, to call up the putative place of business and confirm the transaction and the size. It's one of those deals where the mere threat of being able to validate tends to keep the system humming along fairly well, even to the point that many of the participants have forgotten the justification for the system. Presumably there's someone out there routinely forging receipts for fun and profit but it must not be that big a fraud considered across the entire system. Same thing here.
  - logfromblammo 9y ago
    That "John Smith" really makes the rounds, doesn't he?
- thriftwy 9y ago
  Why not take the money and hard redirect them to charity?
azernik 9y ago
This is very much not true. In the US, prostitutes are very punctilious about paying their tax bills, because the having a discrepancy between declared income and visible consumption is a quick way to land yourself on an auditor's desk. Remember, they got Al Capone for income tax evasion. The IRS is very open about this. A fellow HN commenter pointed me to this document [1], on which you should search for "Bribes" and "Stolen Property". Even if you don't want to trust to the IRS's confidentiality rules (for example, it won't share your tax return with law enforcement without a court order), it's still common practice to come up with another description for your income in order to pay tax on it. [1] https://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch12.html#en_US_2016_publink1000172062 https://www.irs.gov/publications/p17/ch12.html#en_US_2016_pu...
- Sleeep 9y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_of_illegal_income_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_of_illegal_income_in_...

toomanybeersies 9y ago

Not sure where in America is paying $300 per hour for software developers.

chii 9y ago
in the valley as an "rockstar" iOS developer.
- yellowapple 9y ago
  With $299.95 per hour in rent.
tryingagainbro 9y ago
I doubt they have 8 hour a day booked though :)
dspillett 9y ago
The number of hours you can practically work is an important factor, as are the risks (illness of various forms, exposure to dangerous customers, ...) that at best further reduce your earning potential for a while or at worse lead to complete curtailment and/or much pain (or even early death). Simply comparing the hourly pay rate is pretty meaningless when comparing job options like these that differ so massively in other factors. I'll keep my tech job if it is all the same to you. (not that I imagine many being willing to pay a good rate for an hour with my physical form, so the choice might not really be mine!)
TallGuyShort 9y ago
I can sit and code for 10 hours at a time without my genitals aching.
fav_collector 9y ago
$600,000/yr isn't that outlandish. You just need 30+ reports or do really good IC work

NTripleOne 9y ago

>Work for Google You do not work for Google though, you live for Google - work just happens to be the majority of your life. You don't live for prostitution, it pays the bills like any other non-life-consuming job.

skj 9y ago
Are you differentiating Google from other employers here, or making a more general comment on 9-5 style careers?