meaning of "expect" here?

[hossein31]

Hi dear friends
Would you please explain me what does "expect" mean in this paragraph: 1) to await for, look forward to 2)to demand, ask for

"Presto change-o! If you’re making and selling something for profit in the U.S., most states say you’ve automatically turned yourself into a business. That means you’re required to do all the paperwork, registration, and tax-filing that comes with it. Expect to register as a business or get a temporary-business identification certificate, as well as apply for a permit to collect sales tax. On top of that, the government wants its share of your income, too, so you need to keep track of your profits."

And one extra question if you like to answer: What does "presto change-o!" mean at the beginning of the text?

Yours
hossein

[Gillnetter]

Hi dear friends
Would you please explain me what does "expect" mean in this paragraph: 1) to await for, look forward to 2)to demand, ask for

"Presto change-o! If you’re making and selling something for profit in the U.S., most states say you’ve automatically turned yourself into a business. That means you’re required to do all the paperwork, registration, and tax-filing that comes with it. Expect to register as a business or get a temporary-business identification certificate, as well as apply for a permit to collect sales tax. On top of that, the government wants its share of your income, too, so you need to keep track of your profits."

And one extra question if you like to answer: What does "presto change-o!" mean at the beginning of the text?

Yours
hossein

Assume that it will happen. "look forward to" is the nearest one in your list - though paying taxes is not something most people would look forward to with any great joy.

"presto change-o" comes from the world of magic acts. A magician would, for example, wave his hand and the coin in his hand would change into something else. Now this means a quick change - from ordinary citizen to tax paying businessman - quick!

[hossein31]

Assume that it will happen. "look forward to" is the nearest one in your list - though paying taxes is not something most people would look forward to with any great joy.

"presto change-o" comes from the world of magic acts. A magician would, for example, wave his hand and the coin in his hand would change into something else. Now this means a quick change - from ordinary citizen to tax paying businessman - quick!

Thank you very much
But it is not just paying taxes. It is about registering a business. The text is not just about paying taxes. It wants to explain the legal procedures of starting a job in the US. Furthermore, in its following sentences, we see the word "apply" which make us consider "expect" to be meant as "apply OR demand". What do you think in this case?
And another point I know the meaning and origin of the expression "presto change-o", but it seems to me it is not a proper use of it in this context. Because there is no sudden change here. You want to start a job and should do some paperwork. Although I wonder if there is a better explanation for it than yours.

[emsr2d2]

Thank you very much.

But it is not just paying taxes. It is about registering a business. The text is not just about paying taxes. It wants to explain the legal procedures of starting a job in the US. Furthermore, in its following sentences, we see the word "apply" which make us consider "expect" to be meant as "apply OR demand". What do you think in this case?

And another point I know the meaning and origin of the expression "presto change-o", but it seems to me it is not a proper use of it in this context. Because there is no sudden change here. You want to start a job and should do some paperwork. Although I wonder if there is a better explanation for it than yours.

Paying taxes, registering your business etc are all the things that you can reasonably expect to have to do in order to fulfil all the requirements of starting a job in the US. It is simply warning you that there is a long list of things to do (register as a business, get a certificate, apply for a permit) and you may as well prepare yourself now for the fact that it is a very long list and you must expect to do all of them before you can start to work.

I think "presto change-o" is used ironically here. As you say, the change does not happen suddenly. In fact, it takes a long time and a lot of work so actually the sudden impressive change seen in a magic act is a long way from the truth in this scenario. The piece says that "most states say you've automatically turned yourself into a business". There is clearly nothing automatic about it!

[hossein31]

Paying taxes, registering your business etc are all the things that you can reasonably expect to have to do in order to fulfil all the requirements of starting a job in the US. It is simply warning you that there is a long list of things to do (register as a business, get a certificate, apply for a permit) and you may as well prepare yourself now for the fact that it is a very long list and you must expect to do all of them before you can start to work.

I think "presto change-o" is used ironically here. As you say, the change does not happen suddenly. In fact, it takes a long time and a lot of work so actually the sudden impressive change seen in a magic act is a long way from the truth in this scenario. The piece says that "most states say you've automatically turned yourself into a business". There is clearly nothing automatic about it!

Thank you very much
But I think my question was not clear for you. I like you to answer my question in this clear way; that is which one of the following sentences is true about the "expect" and meaning of that part of the text:
1) The state (authorities) may agree to register your business OR may not agree to register and they give you a temporary certificate. You should expect one of these possibilities.
2) You have two options a) apply for registering your business OR b) apply for a temporary certificate.

Which one is correct No.1 OR No.2 and why is the other wrong?
thank you.

[emsr2d2]

Thank you very much.
But I think my question was not clear for you. I would like you to answer my question in this clear way; that is which one of the following sentences is true about the "expect" and meaning of that part of the text:

1) The state (authorities) may agree to register your business OR may not agree to register and they give you a temporary certificate. You should expect one of these possibilities.
2) You have two options a) apply for registering your business OR b) apply for a temporary certificate.

Which one is correct No.1 OR No.2 and why is the other wrong?
Thank you.

"Expect to register as a business or get a temporary-business identification certificate, as well as apply for a permit to collect sales tax."

Of those two, the second is correct. You can choose to a) register as a business or b) get a temporary business identification certificate. You must do one or the other. You must also apply for a permit to collect sales tax.

There is nothing in the piece which talks about whether or not the authorities have to agree (or not agree) to registering your business. It does not say that getting the temporary certificate is somehow a result of not being accepted for business registration. As far as I can tell, it is entirely up to you which one you choose to do, but you must do one of them.