A Coalition letter with 22 signers was submitted today urging relevant House Committee and Subcommittee Chairmen and Ranking Members to support and swiftly consider H.R. 3825, the Harmonization of Coverage Act of 2017. The bill would harmonize the definition of the term “employee” for purposes of federal statutes by amending the Fair Labor Standards Act to adopt a “common law” test for defining the term.
Coalition Submits Statement for the Record to Senate Finance Committee
The Coalition submitted a Statement for the Record concerning an April 28, 2018, hearing before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on “Early Impressions of the New Tax Law.”
Grace Period Ends Soon for New Pennsylvania Tax Withholding Requirement for Payments to Nonresident ICs
A six-month grace period during which Pennsylvania’s Department of Revenue (the “Department”) indicated it would not assess taxpayers for failing to comply with a new tax-withholding and reporting requirement that became effective January 1, 2018, will soon end (i.e., on the last day of June 2018).
Tax Reform Creates New Benefit for Independent Contractors
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act created a new tax deduction – of up to 20% – for pass-through entities, which include certain independent contractors. The provision, codified as new Internal Revenue Code section 199A, applies for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, but before January 1, 2026.
Wisconsin Announcement of Netting $1.4 Million From Worker-Misclassification Enforcement Is No Cause for Celebration
In an April 3, 2018, Press Release issued by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Secretary Ray Allen announced that “due to the department’s efforts to combat the misclassification of workers in Wisconsin …, the state netted $1.4 million in unpaid Unemployment Insurance (UI) taxes, interest and associated penalties.” The Press Release goes on to state that “Employers who misclassify workers as independent contractors unfairly avoid UI tax and other tax obligations.”