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Telecommuting and Income Taxes
Letters to the Editor
Published: February 5, 2006
Long Island
To the Editor:
While the ability to telecommute may ease Long Islanders' decision to
move out-of-state ("House Costs Are Driving an Exodus," Jan. 29),
those considering cross-border telework should keep in mind that they
might not be able to leave their New York income tax burden behind.
Under New York's tax rules, the state may require nonresidents who
telecommute some or most of the time to a New York employer to pay
taxes on 100 percent of their income, even though they may earn the
bulk of that income at home, outside New York. If a telecommuter's
home state also taxes the income earned at home, the worker may
be double taxed on that income.
Proposed federal legislation called the Telecommuter Tax Fairness
Act would cure the problem, prohibiting states from taxing the income
nonresidents earn while working from home. This bill would empower
more Americans to use the Internet to improve their standard of living.
Congress should pass it now.
Nicole Belson Goluboff
Scarsdale, N.Y.
The writer is a telework lawyer.
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