Congressman Bruce Braley is calling for a new tax break for businesses that hire unemployed veterans.
Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, is a member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. He says one out of every four veterans deployed since 9/11 is out of work.
“You’ve got a lot of people returning to the workforce,” Braley says. “You’ve got tight employment and you’ve got a slow economy and all of those factors together have created this ‘perfect storm’ of difficulty for veterans trying to find work.”
Braley has introduced a bill in congress that would give a tax break to businesses that hire a veteran who was deployed for more than six months. That business wouldn’t have to submit the payroll taxes it’s required to pay for that employee, taxes that are used for Social Security.
“It also allows employers to look to this returning pool of veterans who are desperate for work and find ways to give them the chance to come back, find a job, take pride in that job and provide for their families,” Braley says.
If the business keeps that veteran on the payroll for more than a year, the business would receive another $1000 tax break under Braley’s bill.
Braley announced his proposal during a news conference staged in front of the World War II Memorial in Des Moines. The newly-drawn first congressional district which Braley will seek to represent in 2012 does not include Des Moines, but Des Moines-based media outlets reach some of the central Iowa counties in the new first district.