Is a conductor always self-employed?

Is a conductor always self-employed?

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norman lebrecht

May 20, 2016

It’s a thorny tax question. If a maestro’s main job is with one orchestra, can he be considered freelance for the purposes of claiming peripheral expenses against tax?

The case was fought out yesterday in a Dresden court between Philharmonic music director Michael Sanderling and the local taxman.

Maestro won.

(Between fuzzy lines.)

Read here.

Michael_Sanderling_c_Nikolaj_lund

Comments

  • Peter says:

    Factual correction. It has NOTHING to do with taxes. And the case is NOT between Sanderling and the local taxman.
    The case was fought out between the city of Dresden (Sanderling’s employer) and the Federal German State Pension Fund (Deutsche Rentenversicherung).
    The latter claimed the conductor must pay into the social security fund for dependent employees. The city doesn’t want to pitch in (about half of the social security funds the employer has to put on top of the brutto) and claims he is a freelance artist. The city won. (for now)

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