Search This Blog

Thursday, February 2, 2017

It's About Time

If you earn income in a state, you have to pay state income tax in that state.  That means that if you have a job that puts you in a state for months at a time, you are legally required to pay income tax (if applicable) in that state.  This law applies to everyone; there are almost no exceptions.

This is a good rule to keep in mind when I tell you about the latest news from North Dakota.  Okay, stop shaking your head.  There really is important news from North Dakota.  The state official responsible for collecting the state income tax has announced that the state will be seeking income taxes from the paid protesters who have spent months attempting to block construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.  There have been large, and occasionally violent crowds of protesters in North Dakota.  A great many of these protesters are being paid to be there by one organization or another.  These protesters therefore have jobs in North Dakota, are earning wages in North Dakota and owe the state income taxes on those wages.  The state told the protesters today, that it expects them to pay those taxes.

There's no doubt that the protesters and their allies will start screaming about the outrage that the state would seek taxes from the paid protesters.  Remember, though, that if those protesters were getting paid the same amount to work on a farm in North Dakota, they would have to pay taxes.  If they were working in a store in a town, or a factory in Fargo, they would have to pay taxes.  There's no reason why the protesters working at the site of the pipeline should be allowed to avoid the income taxes.

Who knows what is next.  Maybe North Dakota can force George Soros to provide the protesters with health insurance or else fine him under Obamacare.  There are, after all, more than fifty protesters, so the Employer's Mandate kicks in.

No comments: