Globally, paid maternity leave averages 29 weeks. Nationally, many states still support unpaid maternity leave, leaving women to choose between caring for children or careers. 
Recently, Massachusetts passed a bill allowing residents to apply for paid family and medical leave for a max amount of 24 weeks to cover childbirth recovery and time to bond with Child. This was a huge milestone for Women in the work force and long overdue. This was something to be celebrated. However, we have just now received word that the IRS has “not decided,” whether they will tax PFML, a program funded by tax payer dollars. This program has been ongoing for a year, and now creates undue and unfair hardship on women in the workforce who were misguided when applying for this program into thinking this was untaxed money and/ or was calculated into the weekly pay out. This leaves you, your wives, and/or Mothers potentially owing THOUSANDS back in taxes for taking care of their children and family members. To put this into perspective, many women in the nation are still paying tax on tampons (30 of the 50 states) and it took until 2011 for the government to stop taxing our breast pumps. When will this end? 

This is a huge step back for women and all of us as a society, and ultimately punishes women in the work force for taking time to recover and care for their children. Please sign this petition and let law makers know that women in the work force matter and we won’t stand for any more unfair tax policies.