Why it matters: Typically, ideas like these are tough to turn into reality, but next year when the Trump tax cuts expire, Congress will likely pass some kind of new tax bill.
- That creates an opportunity to put new policies in place, says Brendan Duke of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
The intrigue: Where things start to get wild is outside the restaurant industry, as Americans try to figure out ways to classify more of their income as tips. Think bankers’ bonuses or sales commissions — or even pay for a Substack writer or freelance podcaster.
- The U.S. tax code already has different rules for different kinds of income — capital gains, for example, are taxed at a lower rate than payroll income.
- When those kinds of divides happen, you create enormous incentives for people to game the system, says Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center.
- Those kinds of shenanigans typically happen with higher earners — think of the carried interest tax loophole, for example.
For the record: An official from the Harris campaign said the policy would include “strict requirements to prevent hedge fund managers and lawyers from structuring their compensation in ways to try to take advantage of the policy.”
- Trump’s campaign hasn’t offered much in the way of detail.
The more complicated things are, the easier they are to manipulate and abuse.
All wages, salaries, bonuses, tips, any cash given as compensation for labor performed, should all be taxed one way.
Any rents, capital gains, interest, anything gained by simply owning or selling something owned, should be taxed another way.
Any extraction of natural resources should be taxed a third way.
But with tips, it’s income from customers generosity, not pay from an employer. It’s not guaranteed, in 99% of the cases, but gets taxed like it is which puts power over it into the hands of the employer, who has no business in the transaction.
By default, I am 100% against intrusion of extra parties unnecessarily, and this fits that bill. Providing the atmosphere tipping can occur doesn’t mean the owner should be in charge of whether the culture tips or not. Are the power and water companies demanding tips from business owners? Or judges and protective services demanding tips from citizens? Their work enables the environment for their business to exist, ergo, same logic. Or doctors and nurses, they’re work keeps people alive to even create industry.
Coming down on the tipped service worker is definition punching down. They work in services, that means their job already sucks, leave em be already and focus on actual issues.
It’s pay for work. Who pays doesn’t really matter.
It is once given. And if it isn’t given, it isn’t taxed.
You should tip in cash when possible.
And there are already laws in place to prevent employers from fucking with peoples tips.
I have no idea what you’re talking about here.
All jobs suck. Holding one to the same rules as all the others, isn’t punching down.
And yes, that means they should be paid the same minimum wage. No special acceptation for “service workers”.
You have no idea what I’m talking about? It’s said right there *ergo, same logic". There are two kinds of people in this world, those that can extrapolate with partial knowledge and those that.
You know exactly what I’m saying, you just don’t care to define what’s appropriate and where the line should be drawn. I think the whole thing is a giant nothingburger from a group of Karen’s who think their opinion should decide peoples livelihoods, for some reason. Where’s that end? America should return to its original motto on our currency, not today’s In God We Trust, but the one Ben Franklin minted that said Mind Your Business.
Why should customers be relied upon to subsidize the restaurant owner? I’m in the PNW, all our restaurants/bars/etc pay min wage (or more) plus tips and they’re doing just fine.
I used to work for tips and I averaged between $35-50/hr. If everyone decided to drop my income by 2/3rds, because that’d be fair to…whom exactly? The owner? Cuz if they have to pay workers the same as everyone else then servers should be happy with a pay cut to $15?
GTFO.
Most of the country already has a servers wage of 2.13/hr, and how that’s not criminal is beyond my comprehension. Talk about government putting their fingers on the scale for an industry. That is essentially codifying a caste system. Well, so is all wage work in the corporatocracy. That’s why we call it wage slavery.
You argue for cutting some people’s wages by 1/2-2/3rds then don’t be surprised if that’s met with violence. Which I would call justified, honestly. Violence, at times, is a perfectly good solution. Maybe not the most highbrow, but it can be quite effective. Why do you think the state has a monopoly on it?
And i don’t even want to see the strippers up there for $15/hr. What a sad world.
I don’t know what’s going on. It seems you’re arguing against things I never said.
Perhapse you’re extrapolating too much, and arguing against a strawman. I’m a very literal person, who only means exactly what I say. When people make assumptions about what each other are “really” saying, they frequently talk pass each other, and don’t actually communicate.