Kicking You When You're Down

27 October 2010 5:38:07 PM

So here I am, setting up an LLC for myself, so that I can safely conduct contract business. I went to LegalZoom, which seems like a pretty reasonable solution. However, here in Maryland, the state decided that it would be just swell to layer on extra fees - at rates that make no sense:

$192 Filing Fee
$149 Registered Agent Fee
$79 to get a tax id

Do they employ garden gnomes to file small pieces of paper, or what?

Technorati Tags: stupidity

posted by James Robertson

Comments

Re: Kicking You When You're Down

[Bruce Hobbs] 27 October 2010 7:16:23 PM

Sounds like something right out of "Why Chuck Can't Get His Business Off the Ground" <[link 1]Just imagine if you lived in Milwaukee or Miami. :-(

[1 http://www.ij.org/about/3554>. ]

Re: Kicking You When You're Down

[anonymous] 28 October 2010 8:55:28 PM

James, most web startups (and many Fortune 500 companies) incorporate in Delaware regardless of where they do business for two reasons: 1) Delaware has business friendly laws (it's usually cheaper) and 2) those laws are well-tested in court and understood by business and tax attorneys throughout the country. Maryland will probably still impose some fee on you regardless, but consider using Delaware anyway; most startups in the Valley did.