<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRS_tax_forms#1099_series" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRS_tax_forms#1099_series</a><p>Form 1099 ... is ... an information return to report various types of income other than wages, salaries, and tips (for which Social Security Administration Form W-2 is used instead). The term information return is used in contrast to the term tax return although the latter term is sometimes used colloquially to describe both kinds of returns.<p>Each payer must complete a 1099 for each covered transaction. Three copies are made: one for the payer, one for the payee, and one for the IRS.<p>Examples of report amounts paid to independent contractors (in IRS terminology, such payments are nonemployee compensation). The ubiquity of the form has also led to use of the phrase "1099" to refer to contractors themselves. U.S. tax law requires businesses to submit a Form 1099 for every contractor paid at least $600 for services during a year. Although, this requirement usually does not apply to corporations receiving payments, amendments made by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would remove this exemption beginning in 2012.
If only the tea party crowd would get worked up about this issue - seems like the perfect overlap of "stuff the right loves to throw fits over" and "actually matters"
1099s wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to choose between three layers of carbon paper on non-8.5x11" special paper that you have to order ahead from the IRS weeks in advance, or pay-per-file non-IRS-but-IRS-approved third-party electronic filing.