 n2ubp join:2007-07-13 Middletown, NY | reply to pnh102
Re: Not Too Far Fetched > Typically any purchase made with personal funds for work use that isn't compensated by work is tax deductible.
I think you only get to deduct work expenses if they are more than two percent of your adjusted gross income.  |
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 Scuba2 join:2004-01-13 Under da sea | It's the amount that is greater than 2% of your adjusted gross income and only if you itemized (schedule A ) your deductions ! |
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 nitzanPremium,VIP join:2008-02-27 kudos:2 | said by Scuba2:It's the amount that is greater than 2% of your adjusted gross income and only if you itemized (schedule A ) your deductions ! Exactly. Which means it's NOT tax deductible for 99% of employees.
Not to mention even if you get to deduct it - you still need to pay social security and medicare on the amount, and possibly state income tax. Your employer can just straight-off deduct it as a business expense without all the crap taxes.
This is such a stupid decision. internet service reimbursement costs very little to the employer, and provides a real benefit (and satisfaction) to the worker. -- Nitzan Kon, CEO Future Nine Corporation -- Compare VoIP Provider Rates |
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 bubbha join:2004-03-20 Harrisburg, PA | Are you serious?!? 45k people on telecommute at $40 per month for their service is $1.8MIL PER MONTH... that's real money to me! You save on gas money and food by working from home... suck it up and pay your own connection! How many of those people piggyback on that company paid service when you know they would have high speed on their own if the company didn't pay for it or they actually worked at the office? |
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 nitzanPremium,VIP join:2008-02-27 kudos:2 | said by bubbha:Are you serious?!? 45k people on telecommute at $40 per month for their service is $1.8MIL PER MONTH... that's real money to me! You save on gas money and food by working from home... suck it up and pay your own connection! How many of those people piggyback on that company paid service when you know they would have high speed on their own if the company didn't pay for it or they actually worked at the office? Easy. Cut their salary by $40 - case solved.
They still net a better result because $40 after taxes is more like $25. |
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 jmn1207Premium join:2000-07-19 Ashburn, VA | reply to bubbha said by bubbha:Are you serious?!? 45k people on telecommute at $40 per month for their service is $1.8MIL PER MONTH... that's real money to me! You save on gas money and food by working from home... suck it up and pay your own connection! How many of those people piggyback on that company paid service when you know they would have high speed on their own if the company didn't pay for it or they actually worked at the office? I suppose IBM can just provide an office, phone, and computer for those employees that decide not to work from home anymore? If they need to move closer to the office to make the commute more manageable, will IBM help pay the cost to move?
If they are going to change their work at home policy midstream, they need to provide some options. For IBM, it's just a quick way to make a buck and most employees won't make too much of a fuss about it. Most people want to keep their jobs, and working from home has many benefits that outweigh the lost compensation they once enjoyed.
It's exactly like a company that decided to start charging it's employees for parking outside the office building. It would suck, it wouldn't be right, it might even get it's own news story, but just about everyone would simply pay the $2 each day to park. Just like nearly all of the IBM work at home employees will simply grin and bear it. |
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 | The hospital that my wife worked at, until she retired, charged for parking in the hospital facility. |
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 jmn1207Premium join:2000-07-19 Ashburn, VA | said by Austinloop:The hospital that my wife worked at, until she retired, charged for parking in the hospital facility. Did she know about this before she decided to start working there, or did they start demanding money for parking one day, after allowing people to park for free for many years? |
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 | Not that it makes a difference, but pay from day 1. It was not really an option to park other than on property due to evening shifts (3 to 11 pm). At least that was the story for 28 years. |
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 jmn1207Premium join:2000-07-19 Ashburn, VA | Every scenario is different, it seems.
My company has an excellent work from home program, but we mention up front that you need your own computer that meets a certain specification, you have to use software compatible with our Citrix client, you need a broadband connection, and you need a working phone. And more details are provided for those interested. Anyone working from home has completely agreed to do so on our terms.
While it varies from one department to another, generally most employees have flexible routines, and can often work from home without any strife from management. Nobody expects to get kickbacks on our internet bill for time spent at home.
In this situation with IBM, it simply appears to be a money grab. Hopefully they will work with any employee that has an expensive business account with their ISP, and will continue to compensate these employees if necessary. It could be a a couple of hundred dollars depending on where the person lives and what type of connection they might require to be productive. |
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 iansltx join:2007-02-19 Golden, CO kudos:2 Reviews:
·Comcast
| Exactly. Unfortunately TIme Warner Cable's business packages (which will be required once residential packages are rendered useless by caps) are freakin' expensive compared to home packages. Or maybe the person has to switch to DSL so their internet doesn't slow down to a crawl due to overcrowded cable lines. So maybe theyhave to pay SpeakEasy $90 a month for a cute little 6/768 DSL connection... |
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 | reply to bubbha said by bubbha:Are you serious?!? 45k people on telecommute at $40 per month for their service is $1.8MIL PER MONTH... that's real money to me! You save on gas money and food by working from home... suck it up and pay your own connection! How many of those people piggyback on that company paid service when you know they would have high speed on their own if the company didn't pay for it or they actually worked at the office? I work from home most of my time and in customers office the rest. If you've ever worked from home you'd realize that most, not all, work from home people end up working longer hours that those in tradional offices. My PRODUCTIVE hours average 12 hours a day since I'm not wasting the average one hour each direction to communte to the local office. (Which doesn't have enough space even if I wanted to go in!) I don't think it's too much to ask for them to cover my DSL @ $35/mo. especially since they have me using it for VoIP for my company line too.
The cost of real estate, phone and network if I were to go to a company office would probably be at least $500/mo. on top of the lost productivity while I'm commuting. |
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 | reply to bubbha Arent they(company) saving money by not having to buy or lease office space ,pay light bill,be liable insurance wise for anything that happens on company property etc...by having the employee work from home or are they doing this out of the goodness of their hearts so poor employees dont have to leave home? Give me a break,these greedy people who run these companies are doing it because it already saves them millions!!!! This is just one more gerbel who came up with an idea to justify his pathetic existance. Blahahahah! |
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 PhoenixDown-- Wants FIOSPremium join:2003-06-08 Fresh Meadows, NY kudos:1 | reply to bubbha Real estate costs more than the broadband service per head count, its why more companies are looking at telecommuting as a viable option. |
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