Affordable Care Act surcharge tacked on to restaurant bills

newschannel10.com ^ | january 8, 2015 | madison alewel

[lowbridge]

Some Buffalo Wild Wings customers are noticing an extra charge on their bill that up until now has not been seen in the Panhandle.

The Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants in both Amarillo and Lubbock recently attempted to pass their employee health insurance costs on to their customers by adding an Affordable Care Act surcharge.

The two percent surcharge started appearing on bills January 1--the same day businesses with 100 or more employees were mandated to provide insurance to at least 70 percent of their full-time employees.

The Howard Restaurant Group who owns the Buffalo Wild Wings said it implemented the surcharge instead of cutting employee hours or raising prices. "Due to the Affordable Healthcare Act and its requirement of healthcare coverage to all full-time employees, our restaurant group has decided instead of cutting employee hours and raising food and beverage prices, to implement a two percent surcharge on all guest checks to offset the cost of the federally mandated employee healthcare with the least possible impact to the consumer."

However, the surcharge did not last long.

[sergeantdave]

“ILLEGAL to do under the provisions of the ACA.”

So? The criminal fascists occupying Washington don’t obey the law, so neither should states, businesses nor individuals. Tell President Buckwheat to stick it up his poop chute.

[elpinta]

Actually, around the Denver area they post ‘No Gun’ decals, so I haven’t entered such place for a long time.

[clintonh8r]

If I’m ever presented with a bill like that I’ll simply delete the charge. If management wants to call the law so ne it.

[Mark]

Just call it a “Global Warming” charge.

[WMarshal]

It might be against the law but I bet a court will throw it out as anti-1st Amendment. Any fine they impose will give the fined party standing to sue.

[Wolfie]

That’s ok, I’ll adjust my tip accordingly.

[Lizavetta]

Costs of employment have always been passed on to the consumer.

Now that it's spelled out on their bill in black and white that they, in fact, are paying for the health care they voted for, the idiot voting populace is outraged.

We are living in a nation of morons.

[1010RD]

Great idea, but I doubt most businesses have the courage. The CoC, nationally, in states and locally, is pretty wimpy. They do what the man says. Status quo and all that.

[MV=PY]

"attempted to pass their employee health insurance costs on to their customers "

This is a patently stupid statement.

Companies get their money from customers.

When companies have to pay more taxes they must increase their prices.

Any time a government taxes a company they are actually taxing the customer. This tactic hides the tax from the customer. The company takes the blame for increased prices, not the pols.

[cva66snipe]

I can understand why they did it and called it a surcharge. It was to point out the reason for that additional cost to them. IOW to make a point hey Obamacare is costing you more to eat out. All other businesses have simply quietly factored it into operational cost and none the wiser. Those griping about it though the reason went right over their heads it seems. IOW they are angry at the wrong persons. The restaurant must pass on operatioal cost to stay in business.

[eyedigress]

I would think if you are paying an extra 2% tax for someone else’s healthcare, that becomes an instant deduction on your own taxes.

[Amendment10]

What restaurants need to show on their bills by the unconstitutional Obamacare surcharge is the excerpt below. Justice John Marshall had clarified that Congress is prohibited from laying taxes in the name of state power issues, basically any issue which Congress cannot justify under its constitutional Article I, Section 8-limited powers.

“Congress is not empowered to tax for those purposes which are within the exclusive province of the States.” —Justice John Marshall, Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824.

[TalBlack]

My accountant’s bill includes a breakout showing an obozocare charge. I laughed because I’ve been thinking of putting such a charge on my own bills.

[Rebelbase]

“We are living in a nation of morons”

The stupendously ignorant are now the majority.

[cva66snipe]

I agree but in reality those charges for business are operational cost and simply hidden in the bill to the consumer. If Tennessee tourist attractions posted the surcharges imposed at attractions there would be outrage. Instead it’s hidden in admission, motel room cost, etc.

[eyedigress]

Just deduct the healthcare cost as a tax. Be it premiums or whatever. John Roberts said so.

[exnavy]

The law of unintended consequences.

[trebb]

Irony abounds - the same folks who are taxed to pay for ACA get re-taxed to double up their contributions to something for others...