Posted on 03/17/2006 12:21:05 AM PST by beaversmom
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Now that Wal-Mart is required under Maryland law to spend at least eight percent of its payroll for employee health benefits, some state lawmakers want smaller businesses to pay up, too.
Legislation introduced Wednesday in Annapolis would require all businesses to spend 4.5 percent of their payrolls on health care for both full and part-time employees. As with the larger employer law, the money would either have to be use for company-provided insurance or paid to the state.
The bill's sponsors says the 800,000 Marylanders without health insurance could benefit from the proposal. Small business owners say it will cost them too much, but Prince George's County Delegate James Hubbards says the legislation will include grants for some businesses to offset the cost.
A hearing on the bill is set for Thursday.
That was neat, get became bet when it posted.
This will end up raising taxes; they should pay more attention to what is happening with South Carolina. The tobacco settlements are tied to sales of tobacco; tobacco sales are down so they could reduce the amount of settlement money the state had come to rely on. They may have to raise taxes to make up the difference.
Same thing here. If the state gets used to getting the 4.5% from a bunch of companies that can't or won't pay for healthcare, then later those companies come into 'compliance,' the gov't will experience a shortfall that you can bet they won't overcome by tightening their belts.
Yeah, a mob of Fascists. This Wal-Mart law BS is right out of the Communist Manifesto.....
Solbr flxres.
Won't some employees just have their salaries lowered by 4.5 percent in response to this thing if it becomes law. When I worked for a beer and wine store in Montgomery County back in 1999, I just got cash payed every week, no health benefits.
I question whether my old boss would have just paid an additional five percent to the state ON TOP of my weekly earnings, since his business is in a quite competitive market.
I am a small employer, but so are many businesses. This will be yet another tax that will make me wonder if I am working for myself or as a tax collector. After getting my taxes done yesterday and seeing that I owe yet another pile of money to these deadbeats, I am seriously thinking about letting my people go and finding something to do that doesn't involve sending half my money to the many government entities that think I work for them.
Do I read this to include places like McDonalds, Wendy's, etc., who hire teens part time?
I can't see anyone thinking this is a good idea (except those employees of government who constitute too large a percentage of the state's population).
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