New Bill Introduced: Healthy Workplaces Tax Credit
July 16, 2020
Today Congressman Tom Rice (R-SC) introduced legislation, the Healthy Workplaces Tax Credit, that would provide businesses a tax credit to safely reopen and pay for extra safety measures amid the coronavirus pandemic. Specifically the bill would provide a refundable tax credit against payroll taxes for 50% of the costs incurred by a business for COVID-19 testing, personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfecting, extra cleaning and reconfiguring work spaces to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
The Healthy Workplaces Tax Credit would provide a refundable tax credit against payroll taxes for 50 percent of the costs incurred by a business for COVID-19 testing, personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfecting, extra cleaning and reconfiguring work spaces to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
The credit is limited to:
(a) $1,000 per employee for a business’s first 500 employees,
(b) $750 per employee for the next 500 employees and
(c) $500 for each employee after that.
For example, if a restaurant with 40 employees spends $60,000 on PPE, testing, disinfecting and plexiglass shields, it would receive a $30,000 tax credit against its payroll.
The intent of the bill is to motivate and assist businesses to follow the recommended workplace protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Rice, who is on the House Ways and Means Committee, introduced the bill as an addition to legislation from Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) that would create a temporary tax