Comment: This is beyond the pale. Even the Washington Post says it’s indefensible. The feds passing judgment on everyday business decisions? Handing the IRS another way to hound and harass people they don’t like? Authoritarians of the World, Unite!
“if employers are going to take advantage of the one-year delay in enforcement of the employer mandate, they have to attest (under penalty of perjury) that they aren’t cutting jobs or reducing hours because of Obamacare.”
“The regulation delaying the employer mandate tries to give employers some flexibility, allowing them to reduce the number of employees for “bona fide business reasons” such as the “sale of a division, changes in the economic marketplace in which the employer operates, or terminations of employment for poor performance.” This raises the question of how the administration intends to enforce the very exception it has created.”
“After all, there can be a very thin line between workforce reductions due to “bona fide business reasons” and those due to the economic pressures created by Obamacare. But employers arguing that they reduced their workforces for bona fide reasons, particularly if they are at or near the 99 employee mark, are making themselves vulnerable to harassment by IRS auditors and other officials.”
Obamacare Will, in Fact, Encourage Employers to Cut Jobs
By Lanhee J. Chen
Feb 12, 2014
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-12/obamacare-will-in-fact-encourage-employers-to-cut-jobs.html
“This rule includes a provision that says you have to have the right motives for having a certain number of employees to be in compliance with Obamacare. Bear with me, that’s right: You must certify to the IRS – under the threat of perjury – that the reasons for your employee head count have nothing to do with your opposition to or avoidance of Obamacare. This president doesn’t just selectively enforce the law as he sees fit; now he is actually inventing new crimes. It’s jaw-dropping that if you fall below 100 employees, the burden will be on you to prove that you meant no disrespect to Obamacare. I can’t wait to see the video of the first Democrat who tries to defend this new threat of prosecution within Obamacare. In fact, look for the White House to fix this and somehow drop this provision altogether. It’s completely indefensible.”
Obamacare creates new ways to prosecute American business
By Ed Rogers
February 11, 2014
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2014/02/11/the-insiders-obamacare-creates-new-ways-to-prosecute-american-business/