Thursday, January 3, 2013

When you get your W-2 wage and tax statement this month, look at Box 12. For the first time ever, as a result of the Obama health law, the IRS is requiring employers to report the cost of health insurance you get at work. The Obama administration claims that it´s informational, so you´ll appreciate the value of your health plan. Believe that and I´ll sell you a bridge in Brooklyn.

Fiscal-Cliff Ink Barely Dry, Obama Already Moving To Hike More Taxes - Betsy Mccaughey/IBD

"Taxpayers should be uncomfortable with the implications of the W-2 reporting requirement," warns Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform. He calls Box 12 a "clear set-up" for taxing your health plan.

The ugly outcome of the fiscal cliff shows that Washington politicians are intent on wringing more money out of American taxpayers instead of curbing profligate government spending.

The fiscal cliff pact raises income and capital gains taxes on high earners (on top of ObamaCare tax hikes), allows payroll taxes to rise on all workers, postpones previously agreed-to spending controls and extends costly unemployment benefits.

Worst of all, the president announced Monday night that he intends to push for more tax revenue in the new year.

In the hunt for new revenue, Washington politicians are almost certain to attack the single costliest exclusion in the tax code: the health coverage you get at work.