TITLE
RESOLUTION URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO ENACT A TEMPORARY PAYROLL TAX CUT AS PART OF AN ECONOMIC STIMULUS PLAN TO HELP COUNTERACT THE IMPACT FROM THE WIDENING CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19) PANDEMIC, AS PROPOSED BY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

BODY
WHEREAS, payroll taxes, which are distinct from income taxes, are paid by both employers and employees and are used to fund Social Security, Medicare and other government programs; and
WHEREAS, employee wages are subject to a 6.2 percent tax up to $137,700 for Social Security and a 1.45 percent tax for Medicare, with employers matching those contributions; and
WHEREAS, on Tuesday, March 11, President Donald Trump proposed temporarily eliminating the payroll tax�potentially through the end of 2020�to help offset the economic harm caused by the widening outbreak of the coronavirus disease [MJ(1](COVID-19); and
WHEREAS, on Wednesday, March 12, the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic; and
WHEREAS, an employee-side payroll tax cut would likely accrue to workers in the form of higher wages, while an employer-side payroll tax cut would ensure greater liquidity for businesses that may otherwise become insolvent in the face of falling demand; and
WHEREAS, the federal government has utilized payroll tax cuts to help stimulate the economy in the past, including most recently in 2010 when the employer-side payroll tax was reduced from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent; and
WHEREAS, this Board believes a temporary payroll tax cut would be an effective tool as part of a greater economic stimulus package to help counteract the potential economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the United States Congress to enact a temporary payroll tax cut as part of an economic stimulus plan to help counteract the impact from the widening coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic as proposed by President Donald Trump.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the President of the United States and the members of the Florida Congressional Delegation.
Section 3. Directs the County�s federal lobbyists to advocate for the action set forth in section 1 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the 2020 Federal Legislative Package to include this item.