As I'm sure you are aware, there is a very easy way to check the validity of a Social Security Number.
I don't know how easy it is to fake IDs. It appears to be easy enough for identity theft to be a problem.
Would Social Security even notice that Jose Gonzalez, SS#555-12-1234, has five jobs? Or even ten jobs?
Be that as it may, this doesn't dispute the issue I raised, which is that if an employee presents papers that pass muster, the employer won't be liable now, and wouldn't be liable if the penalties were enhanced under new law.
There's an even easier way for many to circumvent this, set up a corporation with a TIN (tax ID number). Perfect for people who clean offices, clean houses, do yard work. In Virginia you can set up a little corporation in about an hour using the online form. And it takes less time than that to get a tax ID from IRS via phone.
And then there are the people who are paid cash. This already violates several laws as it is, ones with real criminal penalties already -- state and federal income tax evasion, SS tax evasion, wage and hour laws, worker's comp laws.
It used to amaze me how many laws get broken with impunity. But the government just can't catch everybody. |
