Most states have taxes, and California -- where many of the best contracts are -- has quite high taxes. The self-employed aren't taxed extra per se: they "just

Most states have taxes, and California -- where many of the best contracts are -- has quite high taxes. The self-employed aren't taxed extra per se: they "just" pay the employer and employee portions of the social taxes. Which is a big pain when you're self-employed and feels super unfair, but that's the logic. On the other hand you can put more money in a tax-deferred retirement account (401K etc) than regular employees, so I think it might cancel out the added tax if you have a good accountant.