Quote:
Originally Posted by darmstadt
Not quite, an applications programmer or tester will more than likely be Selbständig and will have to pay Gewerbesteuer whereas a systems programmer is considered to be like an engineer and so doesn't.
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Yes that is true, though shouldn't be a problem provided you have a degree, or possibly some confirmation from your client, so is normally avoidable. The common mistake is that some German contractors actually register themselves as a "Gewerbe" which is then difficult to refute.
But.. the English mistake is to work for an agency that actually employs you, and so you pay social insurance, which is astronomical. Now it is true that companies such as Siemens may demand this, but firstly the contract between the agency and the contractor is none of their business and secondly if the purchasing dept is playing hardball German companies may just employ you on a 400 EUR basis i.e. no Social Insurance or very little just to say you're an employee. Again this avoidable.