We all agree that whether we work at home or in an office, we need roads. There are many other government services that we need (although many of us will debate what those are, so we’ll stick to roads here). But, when you have your employees work from home, what happens?
Well, they drive less. Yay! They spend less money on clothes. Yay! They spend less money on restaurant meals! Yay! You spend less money on office space. Yay! It sounds like a winning situation–for everyone but the government (fewer gas taxes), clothing stores (fewer business-appropriate outfits), and restaurants (fewer customers).
Deutsche Bank has a solution: More taxes for the work-at-home crowd. They propose that if your company doesn’t have office space available for employees, the company has to pay a tax to support businesses, such as restaurants, that have really taken a hit during Covid. If you provide a working space for your employees and choose to work from home, they pay the tax directly.
To keep reading, click here: Working From Home Can Save You Money. Should Your Taxes Go Up?
Does the logic make sense? You pay for what you use. The less structures are used, the less wear occurs, the longer they last on original dollars. Do businesses share earned profits? Consumers support businesses responding to their needs. Some businesses are needed more, now. Some businesses aren’t needed as much. Why does an artificial balance (taxes) need to be considered instead of relying on actual balance (consumer actions)?
My initial reaction is that this is kicking people when they’re down. We’re not working from home because we chose to–many of us are working from home because we’re not allowed to work from our offices. For the government to tax us for something they made us do doesn’t seem right. It’s also worth noting that we’re paying more out of pocket these days–the company’s not paying for my coffee or the water filter in my fridge. This would be an extra cost on top of me paying for things that my company normally would pay for (via the break room). And bear in mind, I’m lucky–I’m not facing workload issues or layoffs due to the pandemic. To be forced to work from home, have reduced hours, and be taxed for the privilege isn’t right.
While working at home, I am also using more water, heat, and electricity than usual, so those bills have gone up. I am using more toner in my printer. Do employers reimburse employees for these costs?
Toner and paper maybe. These are considered consumables for us, and projects usually budget a certain amount for these. And my personal printer at home uses cheaper ink than the one at my office, so the company still saves money.
I’ve heard of some schemes to compensate for the costs of utilities, but never anything major. My company used to reimburse the cost of cell phones (prior to that they issued company phones), but stopped recently. But yeah, water, power, heat, AC, and internet costs are all rising with work-from-home.
There’s also the cost of setting up a home office. Some of us had a setup already, but folks who didn’t likely had to pay some costs out of pocket. Even if it’s just using your kitchen table–there are opportunity costs associated with that Someone setting up a more serious office (desk, printer, shelves, that sort of thing) could easily spend a few hundred dollars.
The fact that government has locked us down to stop a disease with a 99.96% survival rate is neither our fault, nor a rational response to an emergency. It is harmful theater and should be resisted. But certainly while it goes on, taxes should be reduced or even entirely suspended, not only because government is providing a lot fewer services but because government are the ones needlessly inflicting the problem on us. Let the bureaucrats starve until they allow us to resume normal lives. And there isn’t any new normal.
This x1000
You stole my response.
The government breaks your legs, gives you a wheelchair then expects to be thanked.
No conspiracy, just stupidity.
I am glad you stated in the last few sentences to leave things alone. Only someone who thinks this is sharing expenses (as in a socialist viewpoint) would think this is a great idea. It is time to get the government officials who put us into this slowdown of the economy to learn how to work within a budget and stop creating programs out of airy concepts with no financial backing, just hoping to invent another way to get more taxes out of those who actually pay taxes. I don’t care how anyone makes a living earning their money, but none of us want more taxation for finding a working solution in order to keep earning income. The only ones possible suffering here are those owners of buildings who are now facing the possibility of empty non-rented spaces. I feel like playing the tiny violin to accompany their sorrow. My last place of work which closed down use of facility took over 5 years for the landlord to find a tenant because he refused to lower the rent and the other demands concerning the parking lot and he got to declare a loss on his taxes anyway. Landlords like this will always profit one way or another. Businesses will either find a way to continue operating or cease to exist. No one is giving workers financial aid to pay for their higher utility bills and other bills that have increased by being home.
While I tend to lean more democratic socialist on a lot of things (healthcare, education, social safety net, wages) – I’m against this idea because it’s only being done to lrop up a system that isn’t needed unde the new economic model of working from home. Why should I pay a tax to make up for not eating out for lunch and not driving my car?
I feel very differently about the public transportation network. If taxes have to go up a bit to make up for lost fares that’s understandable as that infrastructure will be needed again in a year as tourism and in the office working returns.