[SoFloFreeper]

This is just a precursor to taxing health insurance.

[caver]

The libs at Google are going to get taxed big time for all of their extra goodies.

[MeshugeMikey]

ya mean there IS No Free Lunch??

[Vigilanteman]

If a company has a machine necessary to run the production line, the oil, gas and/or electricity necessary to keep that machine running an producing is deductible as a normal business expense.

How is an employee meal any different?

[ßuddaßudd]

Yeah, I believe they are coming after the taxes on what my employer pays for my insurance, and the beer they give me...

[Jack Hammer]

That’s nothing - Obama’s IRS is now considering taking your first-born male child and your left nut.

[dhs12345]

Yup. The REAL war on the middle class.

Carbon tax.
Tax our health benefits.
Obamacare
Forced EPA regs
Mandatory use of renewable energy sources.
etc
etc.

Kiss our middle class way of life good bye.

[NEMDF]

Perhaps they should tax free school breakfasts and lunches, food stamps, while they are at it.

[I am Richard Brandon]

These reports describe an IRS that wants to constantly EXPAND its reach, Surely, its remit is to enforce existing law, not seek new sources of revenue. Empire building by the bureaucrats at our expense!

[BilLies]

I retired over twenty years ago and for years the IRS had been taxing lunches (and dinners) unless you were in overnight travel status.
The real tax money can be found in all taxing all those apartments and condos that the corporations provide (in NYC. et al) to their higher echelon people tax free. Hell I’d tax the expenses for all those minstrel and arty shows the POTUS hosts for his political donors and admirers.

[kevkrom]

This simply illustrates why it is silly and practically impossible to tax labor and production. Imagine instead a true, non-VAT, consumption tax - such as the proposed national retail sales tax - in thta case you don’t have to figure out what’s a cost to the company or a benefit to the employee (or both!) and how to tax the situation accordingly; in this particular case, since the lunch is a consumption good, whoever pays for the lunch also pays the tax, and that’s the end of it.

But such a scheme is opposed for selfish reasons - big-government types want to hide the true cost of taxation from the taxpayer, layered invisibly inside of prices and payroll deductions, and they also don’t want to lose all of the control over behavior they can make with the tax code. Others know how to game the system and don’t want their gravy train to dry up.

[MrB]

Quick question -

what legislation passed through Congress to allow the IRS to tax something new, like lunches?

[Mike Darancette]

The IRS is going after revenue like a pack of starving weasels.

[The Cajun]

One question, why are we allowing these proven crooked bastards to exists as a government agency?

How stupid are we and how corrupt are our elected representatives?