Higher health insurance costs, new 1099 regulations, and now increased payroll taxes?

That’s the latest expectation from President Obama’s proposed budget, set for unveiling next week.  The big news for small businesses: the budget is expected to replenish states’ dwindling unemployment funds by increasing payroll taxes.  This will happen by raising the amount of unemployment-taxable wages to $15,000—more than double the $7,000 which has held steady since 1983.  This plan, which would take effect with other new tax laws in 2014, stands to increase payroll taxes by over $100 billion over the next decade.

But is this plan merely borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, at a time when the Obama administration is trying to improve relations with business groups?  Keep in mind, unemployment insurance is a joint federal-state program.  State governments must pay the first 26 weeks of unemployment benefits and have had to borrow heavily from the feds to meet this requirement.  To bridge last year’s gap, more than 40 states had to increase their unemployment-insurance payroll taxes.  What will happen to the tax rates under the new plan is up to the individual states and is anyone’s guess.  One thing is for certain—it appears rebuilding the unemployment fund will fall squarely on the backs of businesses.

Legislation was introduced last week that could extend certain unemployment benefits and expiring tax provisions through the end of the year. The legislation is being called the American Jobs and Closing Loopholes Act of 2010.
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According to the Senate Committee on Finance, the legislation would:

* Provide tax relief to organizations to encourage the growth and creation of jobs
* Provide tax cuts
* Create small business loan programs
* Expand career training programs for jobseekers
* Extend eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits, COBRA health care tax credits, and other programs through December 31, 2010
* Ensure that seniors, military service members, and people with disabilities continue to have access to medical professionals
* Close tax loopholes for investment fund managers and foreign operations of multinational companies

In addition, the legislation could make several changes to disaster response in the areas of:

* Oil spill response
* National Flood insurance
* Main safety
* Federally-declared disaster areas
* Agriculture disaster relief