Dr Kynes
Well-Known Member
no, still not hitting the mark.
the W-2 is your annual wage and earnings statement used to do the arcane calculus of the Income Tax Return at the end of the fiscal year.
the W-4 Wage and Tax Withholding Agreement merely allows the IRS to withhold your monies as pre-payment of your Income Tax, sosh security, medicare unemployment "insurance" etc are all required even if you do not have a W-4, such as those who are self-employed. (note: self employed persons are required to file quartely in most cases, and pay the sosh security medicare etc payroll taxes based upon their earnings when they file)
the W-4 is not mandated by the government, it IS however, mandated by every employer, under threat of being liable for your taxes should you neglect to file a return and pay the income tax at the end of the fiscal year.
if the W-4 were required under law, it would be unconstitutional, since until the tax is assessed, and then made payable (two distinct operations, both necessary for any tax to be due), no tax is actually owed, and thus no tax can be collected except by your "agreement"
the cunard of claiming it is "voluntary" is just Bucky's favourite sophistry, since it is only "voluntary" if you are self-employed, unemployed, working "under the table", or engaged in the illegal sale of cannabis. those of us who work for The Man are required by The Man to sign the W-4 as a condition of employment, just as we are "required" to wash our hands after visiting the restroom, and prohibited from wearing our trousers down around our buttocks, no matter how assiduously we "Puff Them Boxers"
the rules of your employer ARE mandatory (as long as you wish to remain employed), but they are not required under the law.
