No to the taxing of health benefits
Jun 12, 2009 11:06 AM
Passed by the Retired Teachers’ Chapter membership meeting on June 9, 2009 and now goes to the Delegate Assembly of the UFT.
WHEREAS: Congress is moving toward the taxing of
employer-provided health benefits. The
Washington Post reported that forteen senators were in favor of taxing health
benefits including the influential Senator Max Baucus.
WHEREAS: Congress is seeking a way to fund
universal health coverage and is having a supposedly hard time in finding
revenue sources. Thus, many are looking
for a revenue source in the taxing of health benefits. This would be a great financial burden on the
middle class and in violation of President Obama’s pledge to decrease taxes for
the middle class.
WHEREAS: Furthermore, it would fly in the face of President Obama’s
opposition to the tax when he competed against John McCain who favored it.
WHEREAS: What is not said about taxing of employer
provided health benefits is the fact that in contract negotiations with
employers, employees chose tax free health benefits over other benefits. It would be unjust and unfair to tax health
benefits since employees gave up benefits to secure the tax free benefit;
therefore be it
RESOLVED: Since working people are feeling the brunt of the economic meltdown as well as the burden of taxation, we need to let the Administration and Congress know in no uncertain terms that we are absolutely opposed to the taxing of health benefits.
