Democratic state lawmakers tweaked their state-mandated tax for family leave and the end result isn’t much better.
Did we say tax? We meant fee. Democrats are calling the tax a fee in order to bypass TABOR, and a vote by Coloradans they know would fail.
Here’s the deal, all workers will kick in 60% of the tax with employers matching 40% — the tax will be .64% of each workers income.
The actual benefits for those who qualify will depend on their income — poor people get more of their money back, moderate to high income get less.
And of course, those who never require family leave will get nothing back.
The leave is dispersed for 12 weeks — an additional four weeks for mothers suffering medical setbacks after childbirth was deleted.
Companies that already offer paid family leave will get a waiver from participating in this new state insurance pool that will undoubtably require the hiring of new bureaucrats and taxpayer dollars to fund.
A major headache for employers will be who qualifies, because the state rules will differ from the federal Family Leave Act when it comes to LGBTQ partners.
Democrats agreed to drop language that would include leave to care for anyone with a “significant personal bond,” to, those the worker supports financially every day.
Democrats are preparing to rush this bill through like every other piece of legislation they’ve sped through the process this year.
So open up our wallets and just deal with it. With any luck, you’ll witness at least one coworker who is truly needy and deserving of it.