Louise Slaughter: “there is a real snake in the woodpile in this tax bill that nobody is talking about. There is a little provision in…”

“there is a real snake in the woodpile in this tax bill that nobody is talking about. There is a little provision in there that says an employer can declare an employee an independent contractor. That $500 tax credit per child will not mean a heck of a lot to a taxpayer if suddenly they find out they are responsible for all their own health insurance, paying their own FICA, and paying their payroll tax. This is something that will also cost the American taxpayer an estimated $2.2 billion over the next 10 years. Let me quote Secretary of the Treasury, Robert Rubin, and what he has to say about this one provision. ``The provisions for independent contractor status would permit employers to avoid essential worker protections.'' Think about this, constituents. I want everyone to know about this one. At a time when we are trying to expand health and pension coverage, this proposal could lead to widespread shifting of employees to independent contractor status. No longer an employee, but on their own. They would take away the protections such as pension and health coverage and, consequently, wage and hour protections, unemployment insurance benefits, and compensation for work related injuries. Wake up America, it is coming.”