Does it have to be this difficult???

I wise person once said to me (or at least somebody repeated what somebody else had said) "You only have to know a little more on the subject that the person you are talking to in order to come off as far more knowledgeable". This certainly rings true for my career when I spend most of my time imparting small bits of knowledge to my clients in the hope they don't figure everything out and then do the work themselves.

However there certain subjects which appear to me to be made far more complicated than they need be in order that people who work in that field can make themselves masses of juicy dosh for themselves whether it be by advising and moving money around. At the risk of offending somebody one such area is Tax! (I will keep other ones to myself)

I have recently been offered some contract work by my current company while out in Oz, however I am used to being a happy UK citizen where I get nice HR people sorting my tax issues for me and get sent various forms with P numbers on them which I happily file either in the circular plastic filing box on the floor next to the bin (which is kindly emptied by an old lady with an apron every evening), or in my bottom draw next to the half eaten sandwich section.

Now I have this whole range of tax issues to deal with when setting up as a contractor to a company working in Oz but getting orders from a UK company. Do I pay in the UK? Do I pay in Oz? Do I pay in both? How much do I pay? How do I pay it? Do I need insurance? How do I get paid? arrrrgggghhh Do I need a company name? Do I need a permanent residence? What do I do at the end of the tax year? How do I register as a company? arrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhh Do I need health insurance? aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhgggggggg!!

If anybody understands my issues and wants to solve them for me please get in contact.