Construction industry calls for April 13-19 to be â€œDays of Actionâ€ to protest employer tax fraud

Friday, April 12, 2024 at 7:21 AM

construction-industry-calls-for-april-13-19-to-be-days-of-action-to-protest-employer-tax-fraud

Local carpenters are holding a rally in Valparaiso to call attention to the
growing problem of construction industry employer tax fraud.

Carpenters throughout the United States and Canada will also be protesting fraud in the construction industry with a variety of events.
The 2024 Tax Fraud Days of Action Demonstration is to take place Wednesday at the Porter County Courthouse in Valparaiso, 9 a.m. to 3p.m.
“It’s a question of fairness,” said Executive Secretary-Treasurer Matt McGriff, Central Midwest Carpenters. “As taxpayers prepare to file their returns, we are standing up against unlawful practices that have been business-as-usual among construction employers for too long. As a result, taxpayers lose government services, and law-abiding businesses and their employees
lose work to the unlawful contractors.”
Construction employer tax fraud hurts everyone. Workers are paid off the books or intentionally misclassified as independent contractors by shady subcontractors and labor brokers who are hired by contractors to underbid law-abiding businesses. Fraud happens on all types of projects, including taxpayer-funded construction. Rampant cheating causes a massive loss of revenue and makes it difficult to repair roads, bridges and schools, care for veterans and shore up Medicare and Social Security.