Posted on 09/15/2014 9:20:50 AM PDT by John Semmens
Some employers provide employees with company-paid free lunches. The idea is to keep workers at their desks and improve productivity. The expense has normally been lumped in with other expenses as a cost of doing business. The IRS now wants to tax these lunches as income to the employees.
IRS spokesperson Jason Coveter explained that “most employees have to furnish their own lunches. Whether they go out and buy it or bring it from home, they are bearing this cost themselves. It is unfair for other employees to get a lunch paid for by their employer. We’re just trying to level the playing field.”
The “leveling” will be retroactive “to help rectify previous wrongs,” according to Coveter. “We’re going to try to go back at least a few years if we can,” he said. “Consuming free lunches is kind of a social crime and we’re using a sort of ‘statute of limitations’ model that would impose a significant penalty, but not an unlimited one.”
Some taxpayers could end up owing thousands in back taxes and penalties. Not to worry says Coveter, though. “We will have easy payment plans in place that will allow those who owe to pay in installments over the course of a year or two.”
Other employer provided amenities that are in line for future IRS scrutiny include free parking, heating/cooling, lights, and toilet facilities. “Those are all things that the employee has to pay for when he’s at home,” Coverter said. “There’s no good reason why he should be relieved of the cost of these burdens just because he’s at work.”
if you missed any of this week's other semi-news/semi-satire posts you can find them at...
http://azconservative.org/2014/09/13/mexican-president-calls-perry-border-policy-unneighborly/
Cause I’m the tax man..yeah I’m the tax man.
I hate this stupid satire pieces. Be aware they are looking a the lunch practices Google and Apple. Life may imitate satire in this case.
Just so this is clear to everyone - the original story is NOT SATIRE. The IRS is going after employer provided lunches.
I assume the satire comes in with the retro-active part....for now.
When I was a kid over 60 years ago the old retired Station Master on the railroad said that the way things are going they will put a meter around your neck and charge you for the air you breath. We are almost there.
When the loss of revenue was the inevitable result of jacking up tobacco taxes here in Michigan, the legislature immediately went looking for new sources and free food eaten by restaurant employees was at the top of the list.
Carbon taxes.
He said oxygen but it is strange how true he was. We will have carbon taxes, oxygen taxes, water taxes...
Well it is income. So is paid parking, paid on-site daycare services, paid gym memberships, etc., etc.
This is what they went after Ray Nagin for.
There will certainly be an added penalty if the meals are not ‘Moosehell’ approved, watch and see.
I hate satire pieces because they give ideas to the government bureaucrats on how to burden us more than we already are!
We would have non-mandatory meetings at lunctime where free lunches were provided by both the company and vendors. I always felt giving up my time was paying for the lunch although the IRS would probably disagree.
This may be satire, but company provided benefits like lunches are already taxed. I had to pay taxes on the company provided vehicle I used. It is only a small step to tax “Free” meals provided by your employer.
So should employee also be taxed for the free air xonditioning?,Or is that part of. oSHA and good practices?
Can we keep the nasty of the government nanny Roman parasites out yet?
Around once a month, we get a pizza lunch. Also, we do have the ‘non-mandatory’ lunch meetings occasionally. One of the office liberals tried to charge overhead time to his free lunch meeting, and was very upset when he couldn’t.
And vendors constantly give us free lunch. We have to earn education units for our licenses, so vendors ‘teach’ us about their product over lunch.
A tale of the company being on pins and needles - I got a free shirt, and it was on my W-2.
As to the underlying, true, article:
The IRS doesn’t always win.
I remember about 20 years ago or so the IRS wanted businesses (small and large) to keep trip logs if you were deducting mileage or anything vehicle-related (the vehicle itself, gas, maintenance, etc.).
The backlash was intense and the idea was dropped (but not until a cottage industry of log makers sprung up).
They also talked about 10 years ago about taxing air miles, points, upgrades etc. of business travelers. Again, the backlash was intense and it was dropped.
This will follow that pattern, I am sure.
You got me again.
I thought this was real.
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