By Gary Dickson
For all of the positive benefits of the Internet, there are also a number of negative issues. Some features of the Internet have the ability to be either positive or negative. One of those is its ability to serve as a conduit for individuals to quickly disseminate information. The Internet provides the most widespread and fastest traveling information system in history.
All a person has to do to spread something around the world is to send an e-mail to all of his or her contacts and ask all of them to pass it on to all of their contacts. If the information is interesting enough, whether it is the truth or not, many people will forward it and in a matter of hours to days millions of people will have gotten the message.
Such was the case recently when I received an e-mail in which the subject line stated, “Obamacare; the second wave.” The author”s stated goal was to point out more than 20 new or higher taxes due to the healthcare bill. Several will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2011.
The author, who only signed the piece with the initials, JWA, specifically referenced an article by Joan Pryde, published in Kiplinger”s. I am sure that was a move to provide credibility to the message. Kiplinger”s has a top-notch reputation. I became suspicious, though, when JWA wrote about something that I had not heard about and no one else I asked had either. The e-mail message stated, “Starting in 2011 (next year folks) your W-2 tax form sent by your employer will be increased to show the value of whatever health insurance you are given by the company. It does not matter if that”s a private concern or governmental body of some sort.
“If you”re retired, so what ? your gross will go up by the amount of insurance you get.
“You will be required to pay taxes on a large sum of money that you have never seen. Take your tax form you just finished and see what $15,000 or $20,000 additional gross does to your tax debt. That”s what you”ll pay next year.
“For many, it also puts you in a new, higher tax bracket so it”s even worse.
“This is how the government is going to buy insurance for the 15 percent that don”t have insurance and it”s only part of the tax increases.”
JWA was only partially right. While it is true that beginning in 2011, employers will be mandated to place the value of every employee”s health insurance benefit on their W-2, the amount will not be taxed. That information came directly from Mark Willen, senior political editor, The Kiplinger Letter. The impact of the JWA e-mail was so dramatic that Willen wrote a rare response piece to refute the rumor. Willen wrote, “? the benefits will not be added to your taxable income, so you”ll pay no additional tax. The requirement is a hassle and expense for employers, but its aim, according to sponsors, is to help. The idea is that if workers know how much their employers actually pay for health benefits, they”ll work harder to keep costs down and be more understanding when pay raises are modest.”
JWA ended the e-mailed message by stating, “People have the right to know the truth because an election is coming in November!”
It is unfortunate that JWA resorted to scare tactics with the use of misinformation to play upon the emotions of voters for the upcoming election. In reality, the 13 real tax changes that are on the way should have been enough to rile many voters. Internet material has already taken a beating for sometimes being misleading or false. These types of ploys just add to its reputation for being a questionable source of information.
Gary Dickson is the publisher of the Record-Bee. Call him at 263-5636, ext. 24. E-mail him at gdickson@record-bee.com.
