Paying for Obamacare - I Like This Idea

[Ben]

I like this guy's idea for paying the Obamacare costs for his employees. A surcharge on all customer receipts. What would be ideal, is if it was actually printed out as a charged item on every ticket. For all those people that insist Obamacare is a "right", they get to actually participate in paying for it. Similar to my theory that if everyone had to write a check to the IRS every April, there would a lot less enthusiasm for raising taxes.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/15/florida-restaurateur-to-impose-surcharge-for-obamacare/

[makattak]

I like this guy's idea for paying the Obamacare costs for his employees. A surcharge on all customer receipts. What would be ideal, is if it was actually printed out as a charged item on every ticket. For all those people that insist Obamacare is a "right", they get to actually participate in paying for it. Similar to my theory that if everyone had to write a check to the IRS every April, there would a lot less enthusiasm for raising taxes.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/15/florida-restaurateur-to-impose-surcharge-for-obamacare/

IRS will come after him for doing that. Just like the gas stations that tried to create a separate line to show how much taxes were being paid on each fill-up.

[Fly320s]

IRS will come after him for doing that. Just like the gas stations that tried to create a separate line to show how much taxes were being paid on each fill-up.

On what grounds?  Is he violating tax laws?

[birdman]

On what grounds?  Is he violating tax laws?

My question as well.

Of course, if they come up with something, he could always just increment all his prices by some specific value like $0.2 per item, and then in the "comments" section of the receipt put in bold "his receipt reflects a price increase of $0.20 per item due to increased employee health care costs" nothing illegal there.

[Ron]

I absolutely love the idea of businesses itemizing on receipts all the hidden costs of big government.

[makattak]

On what grounds?  Is he violating tax laws?

Given the complexity of our tax laws (and the fact the IRS doesn't even know what is the "correct" way to do taxes), I'm pretty sure they can find (or argue) that he is.

I don't know how they will do it, I will just be very surprised if he is allowed to do this.

[brimic]

Many gas stations in my state post the federal and state gasoline taxes right on the pump. You get reminded of the 49 cents or so you are paying on each gallon every time you fill up.
We need a lot more of this.

[HankB]

IIRC, several decades ago, fed.gov put an additional tax surcharge on airline tickets, and included a provision explicitly prohibiting the airlines from disclosing this new tax. The airlines refused to participate in this secrecy, and basically said "If you every TRY to prosecute, we WILL demand a jury trial and we WILL include your actions in our advertising." 

I don't remember anyone being prosecuted for spilling the beans . . .

[DittoHead]

Under the current law, employers with more than 50 full-time (or equivalent) workers will be charged a penalty for the number of employees exceeding 30 full-time staffers who are not covered. With an average of 35 full-time employees per location, Metz said the $2,000 penalty would total roughly $70,000 per restaurant.

Am I misunderstanding this or is his math way off?

(35-30) * 2000 = 10,000 per restaurant

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Am I misunderstanding this or is his math way off?

(35-30) * 2000 = 10,000 per restaurant

not his math
yours

[DittoHead]

Oh I get it - they all count as one employer don't they? So the 30 'freebies' are for all the restaurants combined.

[Scout26]

The penalty kicks in for ALL Full-time Equivalent once you go over 30.  So he has 35 FTE each restaurant.  Each restaurant then gets hit with the $2000 per head penalty.   

35*$2,000= $70,000

His math is correct.

[DittoHead]

The penalty kicks in for ALL Full-time Equivalent once you go over 30.  So he has 35 FTE each restaurant.  Each restaurant then gets hit with the $2000 per head penalty.   
35*$2,000= $70,000
His math is correct.

Yeah, I wasn't thinking about all of the restaurants combined being considered one employer, but now it makes sense. Anyway...

he also will slash most of the staff's time to fewer than 30 hours per week. That change will be announced to employees next month, he said.

The cat's probably out of the bag on that one! 

The ones that are working more than 28 hours, they’re going to act as if I’m cutting their hours

Isn't he planning on exactly doing that?

We really should look for a better or different way to pay for [ObamaCare]. I think what we’re going to ultimately see here is a European-type system where we have a value added tax or a national sales tax.”

Would a VAT be a better way to pay for it? I wouldn't think so...

[AZRedhawk44]

Oh I get it - they all count as one employer don't they? So the 30 'freebies' are for all the restaurants combined.

It's so... Atlas Shrugged.  Anti-Dog-Eat-Dog Rule.  Equalization of Opportunity. Directive 10-289.

I'm wondering when it will be illegal to fire people because you can't afford them.

[Fly320s]

I'm wondering when it will be illegal to fire people because you can't afford them.

Ask France. Or Italy. Or Greece.

[Jamisjockey]

Given the complexity of our tax laws (and the fact the IRS doesn't even know what is the "correct" way to do taxes), I'm pretty sure they can find (or argue) that he is.

I don't know how they will do it, I will just be very surprised if he is allowed to do this.

This.

Just knowing what is an allowable business expense and what is not is damn near impossible.  I doubt we'd survive an audit and we're super small potatoes.

[lysander6]

We live in AZ and I have a friend who is a plumber and he says that .57-.62 cents of every dollar he takes in is payable to one level of taxing entity or another and he is not even reimbursed for being a collection service for the usual suspects.

If we added up every tax in America from the Feds to your local 'burg, it would be near 60%.  Especially when the US has one of world's highest corporate tax rates, the US, is sensibly and necessarily passed on to consumers in higher prices.

Even Russia has a flat income tax rate of 13%, Russia!

At least the French have the courtesy to be up=front about their theft while the US hides it manifest and legion taxing entities in cozy and cuddly little bromides about "the children" or "national security".

French tax rates:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_France

We are all Federal employees now.

All tax rates:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tax_rates