Getting Paid Under The Table

Aug 5

Lately I feel like I have been encountering people who are getting paid under the table, which means that they are being paid in a way that attempts to circumvent tax laws. Basically whoever is paying them is not reporting that payment as wages and that means that they are not liable for their share of the tax to the government. The person being paid has the benefit of also not being subject to tax for that payment amount, which effectively means that everyone is keeping more money for themselves.

Unfortunately there is a loser in this transaction. And that loser is everyone else. Everyone who does pay their taxes loses because:

1. they could be paying less
2. they could receive more benefits if everyone paid their taxes
3. the national debt (which at the time of writing stands at over $13 trillion - check it out) could be lower

Instead it is left to the taxpayers to pick up their slack. Yes, even though they (the ones involved in this nefarious transaction) are likely working members of society who do not see themselves as being a burden (they are making their own money after all), their presence on the roads, need for protection (e.g., police, fire), and receipt of other benefits are proof that they have an impact on us.

Integrity? Yeah why don’t we go for that. Or at the absolute very least, acknowledge and label black as black and white as white. It is not something to be proud of (and neither is stealing lunch money from a child).