Awesome

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Riot

Linda Bergthold
Health policy consultant
Posted: July 10, 2010 04:40 PM

Your Health Insurance Will NOT Be Taxed Next Year

There is another email making the rounds that claims that the new health reform law requires that you pay taxes on your employer-sponsored health insurance. It's not true. Politifact rates this email "pants on fire" and Snopes also rates this "false."

The email says the following:



Politifact explains why this is not true about as well as anything I could write, including the following explanation (although Politifact does acknowledge that there is one piece of the email that is accurate):

The chain e-mail is correct that employers will be required to start listing the cost of insurance. The requirement starts for the tax year 2011, so employees will see it on the W-2s they receive in 2012.


But that amount will not be taxed. Current law excludes health insurance from taxable income, and there's nothing in the health care law that changes that.

Why is this provision in the law? It is there to assist the IRS in determining who has health insurance and who does not, because when health reform is fully implemented, there will be penalties for people who do not have health insurance and increased taxes starting in 2018 for the so-called "cadillac" plans -- plans that have a value above $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for family policies.

Requiring employers to report the value of the health insurance they provide employees is not a bad idea, by the way. Most people have little idea how much their employer contributes, because they pay only a portion of the premium -- usually around 20 to 30%. The W2 will make it clear just what the value of that insurance is to the employee.

If you want an excellent summary of the provisions of the new law, go to the Kaiser Family Foundation (no relation to Kaiser health plans) website and look at the section on "new taxes." As mentioned above, employer provided health insurance is NOT taxable and the law does NOT change that provision.

There are no fewer than 4,250 "hits" on Google related to the key words "HR3590 and 2011 W 2 forms". Most of these sites repeat the misrepresentation of this provision in exactly the same words as the original email. Few sites question the accuracy of the information and most are fairly hysterical about it. In fact, I was only able to make it through 8 pages of the Google search before I gave up on websites such as well regulated American militias, swamp bubbles, duck south, and divorce forum. So if you receive this email or hear about it -- pass along the accurate information!

Keywords or comments:
-"Your Health Insurance Will NOT Be Taxed Next Year"
"next year" is just one year

- "Current law excludes health insurance from taxable income, and there's nothing in the health care law that changes that."
Yes we know this. But there is nothing to say that it wont be done in the future. 6 months ago, mandatory healthcare wasnt a current law either.

- It is there to assist the IRS in determining who has health insurance and who does not, because when health reform is fully implemented, there will be penalties for people who do not have health insurance and increased taxes starting in 2018 for the so-called "cadillac" plans -- plans that have a value above $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for family policies.
Remember the "next year" comment above? The information IS going to be used to tax individuals, just not yet. So in 8 years from now a $10200 policy will still be a cadillac plan? ok.

-"employer provided health insurance is NOT taxable and the law does NOT change that provision"
yeah THIS one doesn't but as brian pointed out another one could.

-"There are no fewer than 4,250 "hits" on Google related to the key words "HR3590 and 2011 W 2 forms". Most of these sites repeat the misrepresentation of this provision in exactly the same words as the original email. Few sites question the accuracy of the information and most are fairly hysterical about it. In fact, I was only able to make it through 8 pages of the Google search before I gave up on websites such as well regulated American militias, swamp bubbles, duck south, and divorce forum. So if you receive this email or hear about it -- pass along the accurate information"

Sure only nutjobs are worried that they might be taxed on their benefits because all the sane people trust the IRS to fairly tax them their "just" share.

[SOREHOOF]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Keywords or comments:
-"Your Health Insurance Will NOT Be Taxed Next Year"
"next year" is just one year

- "Current law excludes health insurance from taxable income, and there's nothing in the health care law that changes that."
Yes we know this. But there is nothing to say that it wont be done in the future. 6 months ago, mandatory healthcare wasnt a current law either.

- It is there to assist the IRS in determining who has health insurance and who does not, because when health reform is fully implemented, there will be penalties for people who do not have health insurance and increased taxes starting in 2018 for the so-called "cadillac" plans -- plans that have a value above $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for family policies.
Remember the "next year" comment above? The information IS going to be used to tax individuals, just not yet. So in 8 years from now a $10200 policy will still be a cadillac plan? ok.

-"employer provided health insurance is NOT taxable and the law does NOT change that provision"
yeah THIS one doesn't but as brian pointed out another one could.

-"There are no fewer than 4,250 "hits" on Google related to the key words "HR3590 and 2011 W 2 forms". Most of these sites repeat the misrepresentation of this provision in exactly the same words as the original email. Few sites question the accuracy of the information and most are fairly hysterical about it. In fact, I was only able to make it through 8 pages of the Google search before I gave up on websites such as well regulated American militias, swamp bubbles, duck south, and divorce forum. So if you receive this email or hear about it -- pass along the accurate information"

Sure only nutjobs are worried that they might be taxed on their benefits because all the sane people trust the IRS to fairly tax them their "just" share.

Congress writes the tax laws, not the IRS. The IRS just collects $$ and enforces the law. Members of Congress love the IRS because they take the heat (hate?) for Congress in the taxation dept. Congress is the real crook. As usual.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by SOREHOOF

Congress writes the tax laws, not the IRS. The IRS just collects $$ and enforces the law. Members of Congress love the IRS because they take the heat (hate?) for Congress in the taxation dept. Congress is the real crook. As usual.

While the IRS is the "hitman" for Congress, we dont deal with Congress individually when determining our taxes, we deal with the IRS. And we write the checks to the Treasury.

[Cannon Shell]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...061402769.html

"Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is expected to propose a new tax on the health benefits that millions of Americans currently receive tax-free through employers.

Economists say taxing employer-sponsored benefits would help trim runaway health costs and force society to broadly share the burdens of reform. The idea also has bipartisan appeal. Former president George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the 2008 GOP presidential candidate, championed a form of the tax; so did Obama advisers Jason Furman and Ezekiel Emanuel before they joined the administration"

It didn't happen because it would have kept the bill from passing but those like Brian who think it wont are sadly mistaken. The healthcare bill is funded via accounting tricks and pie in the sky assumptions. It will be woefully underfunded. And when that happens you can expect this to be revisited.

[SOREHOOF]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

While the IRS is the "hitman" for Congress, we dont deal with Congress individually when determining our taxes, we deal with the IRS. And we write the checks to the Treasury.

But we vote for members of Congress. That's the point. Rangel makes the laws and Geitner takes the money . It doesn't get much better! Where's the IRS when you really need them?

[Riot]

Jon Kyl: Extend Bush Tax Cuts For Wealthy Even If They Add To Deficit

Top Senate Republican Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) insisted on Sunday that Congress should extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans regardless of their impact on the deficit, even as he and other Republicans are blocking unemployment insurance extensions over deficit concerns.

"[Y]ou should never raise taxes in order to cut taxes," said the Arizona Senator during an appearance on Fox News Sunday. "Surely Congress has the authority, and it would be right to -- if we decide we want to cut taxes to spur the economy, not to have to raise taxes in order to offset those costs. You do need to offset the cost of increased spending, and that's what Republicans object to. But you should never have to offset cost of a deliberate decision to reduce tax rates on Americans."

White House aides immediately seized on the comments. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs wrote on Twitter, "Kyl says wealthy need big Bush tax cuts while middle class families are on their own to fend for themselves as a result of Bush economy."

In private, administration officials say that the framing of the argument couldn't be more advantageous: "It's cutting taxes for the wealthy and letting the unemployed to fend for themselves," said one White House ally.

"If all of this has a familiar ring to it, it's because unpaid for tax cuts for the rich at the expense of working people is the same backward policy Republicans used to put the nation in this hole, and it's the same policy they promise to return to if put in a position of power again," added Hari Sevugan, press secretary for the Democratic National Committee.

[Cannon Shell]

^^^

Has nothing to do with the subject of the thread

[miraja2]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

^^^

Has nothing to do with the subject of the thread

True, but the "subject of the thread" was a completely erroneous claim made by the original poster. There is only so much to discuss about something that somebody just made up in their head.