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It's fine to disagree, but the decision was hardly arbitrary. Let me give a bit of background.
Supervisor X started gaming the system a couple of years prior. From there suddenly the entire factory wanted to start doing it. In our benefits meeting, everyone was told this practice was done and no longer available and correct W-4s were needed. Now, while English was a 2nd language to about 95% of the group....everyone seemed to get the message, except this guy.
Technically speaking, withholding is changed via W-4 and you've committed Federal perjury if you are lying on said form. Companies then must follow certain withholding rules.
The important thing was that the factory stopped looking for it. None of them got in any trouble. As for the ringleader:
- This person is willing to waste company resources on personal matters
- This person is willing to compound matters by leading others down the wrong path.
- When concern is brought up, he chose to fight rather than comply.
- This person is tight for cash, and willing to break the law to get more.
Now, I didn't say we fired him or had any intention of doing so. We kept him. My voice in accounting and finance generally was inconsequential to whom production promoted, but there's a voice. How did someone do on cycle counts, kan ban card updates, BOM reconciliation, part place/pull accuracy etc. If the only thing I have to say about you is the guy wastes time filing fictitious W-4's, it doesn't mean he can't drive a forklift, but I may not want to get him a P-Card. If handling a P-Card is a requirement for a role, then that's a problem.
Ultimately it wasn't my problem though, it was productions. In the actual department, playing coy with Federal requirements will get you gone pretty quickly.
In reality, this guy's main problem is he started bragging to the others how to hack the government. In the OP's case, it sounds like the same thing is happening. Who knows, maybe the same guy.
Do it the same all over again here.
Given the full context I'd agree with you narrowly in this specific case. Making it a broader problem and continuing after being asked to stop is a different kettle of fish than doing something like that in the first place (not of course that it's a good idea).
Taxpayers fill out W-4s. They can claim as many or as few exemptions as they are entitled to based upon the instructions there, and swear the number correct under penalty of perjury. Based upon the number of exemptions, this will give the payroll the exact amount they must withhold from your check and send on to the government.
What some people will try and do is take more exemptions than they are entitled to. (So, say I have 9 children for example) which will reduce the amount of money that is withheld. Now, payroll has not basis for doubting that you have 9 kids, so you do it once and leave it....there's no issue. That's the individual's problem. It's when an individual switches back and forth between 9 and 0 children that things start to get screwed up. That causes problems.
Payroll audits have 0 materiality in them. I was friends with one lady whose company faced a ridiculous auditor who was looking to assess an $80K fine on the basis of a delta that was less than $10.
If you want to claim 9 kids....fine do it...but stay at 9 kids, but don't switch back and forth from 9 to 4. If you do, for God's sake don't convince everyone else in your proximity to do the same.
Leave your company out of your games.
Unless I misunderstand your message, there's no gaming there though. Maybe the withholding amount changes over period, but at the end of the fiscal year, what you owe in April is calculated based on your "real" situation and then whatever your withheld is taken into account. So why does that even matter?
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