Submission + - US Payroll Tax Exemption Sought for H-1B Workers
theodp writes: Worried about a rising tide of protectionism and looking to improve their ability to compete in the worldwide market, India's government and IT industry wants the U.S. to stop collecting Social Security taxes from H-1B workers and their employers. Anand Sharma, India's minister of commerce and industry, argued Wednesday that a totalization agreement granting the exemption would be 'mutually beneficial' for U.S. workers in India, although immigration policy analyst Daniel Costa noted that the waiver 'would give companies another incentive to hire H-1Bs because that's an extra 14% of savings.' Speaking of payroll tax exemptions, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has introduced the Creating American Jobs and Ending Offshoring Act, which aims to provide businesses with relief from the employer share of the Social Security payroll tax on wages paid to new U.S. employees who replace employees who had been performing similar duties overseas.