Editorial

Fair workers' comp

When the Missouri Legislature passed workers' compensation reforms last year, the changes were widely hailed as fairer to employers who too frequently saw their premiums skyrocket when employees were awarded damages for, among other things, injuries that had nothing to do with their jobs.

Now the focus is on businesses that are supposed to pay into the workers' comp system but don't. One of the main reasons is that these employers have poor safety records that boost premiums.

On the average, Missouri employers who participate in workers' comp pay about $2 of every $100 of payroll for coverage. But some employers in high-injury businesses say they pay 15 times the average for coverage.

Surely the fact that so many employers try to skirt workers' comp premiums -- last year was a record for fines -- has a significant bearing on the premiums paid by law-abiding participants.

And surely there are ways to keep better track of employers who aren't paying into the workers' comp system.

Among the questions raised by the alarming increase in workers' comp dodgers is whether these employers are avoiding other employment expenses as well. Are they collecting and submitting income-tax withholding? Are they paying required Social Security taxes? And if they weasel out of paying employment taxes, are they withholding sales taxes too?

Getting a handle on the workers' comp premiums could go a long way in spreading the cost more equitably. Most businesses would like to know they are paying their fair share for this coverage.

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