A Privilege Tax for Those who Work from Home?

As the pandemic rages on, 56% of Americans have hunkered down with a comfortable work from home setup that rivals their office space, all the while saving money on transportation, parking, lunches, work clothes and other associated costs. There’s no doubt that once the pandemic is over, most workplaces will choose to keep the “WFH” perk.

Economists at Deutsche Bank, however, have proposed a privilege tax for those who work from home. In their published research report, What We Must Do To Rebuild, they suggest that remote workers’ wages be taxed 5% for each day they choose to stay at home. The report argues that, “A big chunk of people have disconnected themselves from the face-to-face world yet are still leading a full economic life. That means remote workers are contributing less to the infrastructure of the economy whilst still receiving its benefits.”

If that 5% tax were to be implemented on remote workers in the U.S., the country would receive an additional $48 billion of revenue, which could potentially be used to help rebuild the economy. Worthy of consideration?

References:

Deutsche Bank’s report (pages 32-34)