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Wal-Mart to pay a special health tax in Maryland as a price for its social dumping
One more U.S. State has joined others who are already criticising Wal-Mart for letting its workers rely on health care paid by public funds. A legislative report compiled by the Connecticut Office of Legislative Research shows that more than 1,000 Wal-Mart workers depend on tax-payer financed healthcare for themselves or for their children.
- It's shocking to us and the taxpayers that we're subsidizing the richest retail corporation in America, House Majority Leader Christopher Donovan, D-Meriden, said to Hartford, Connecticut newspaper The Day, referring to Wal-Mart.
House Speaker James Amann, D-Milford, joined him in criticising Wal-Mart and the other employers who push the healthcare costs over to the state. He also signalled that measures would be taken:
- What they don't understand is this is going to turn around and bite them in the butt eventually,” he said to The Day. “- If they think diverting the cost to the state is going to help them, they're dead wrong. We're going to have to go back and raise their taxes, or find some other way to get the money.
Wal-Mart's cynical use of public support to finance health care which should be paid by a company health insurance plan causes particular irritation as Connecticut's HUSKY health care programme has been under pressure. The State legislature has just decided to extend the programme until the end of the year, but many of the low-wage families benefiting from it will have to contribute to costs.
“The House of Representatives is taking a stand for the state’s lowest income workers whose employers are unwilling or unable to provide health coverage,” said Rep. Donovan, commenting on the decision.
The Walton family, who are the main owners of Wal-Mart, is worth about $98 billion. Just 1% of the family wealth could provide affordable health care for all Wal-Mart employees, UNI Commerce affiliate UFCW says.