The SkinnyPop in the break room may not last. Donald Trump is targeting the office snack.
The president’s signature tax law allows a long-standing business deduction for the cost of food provided to employees to expire, imperiling a workplace perk popularized during Silicon Valley’s dot-com boom that is now an emblem of modern office culture. A well-stocked pantry is now a staple at Wall Street banks, among other places.
US companies that continue to provide office snacks, coffee or on-site lunches will see them taxed after Dec. 31, when the deduction will be eliminated.
The tax change gained little attention as the sprawling, nearly 1,000-page legislation moved through Congress and it isn’t yet clear how companies will respond.
A spokesperson for Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which provides employees $30 stipends for “out of hours” meals and a pantry stocked with complementary coffee and snacks, declined to comment on what the company will do when the tax deduction ends. So did a spokesperson for Meta Platforms Inc., another company known for employees’ ready access to free food and coffee. Spokespeople for for Alphabet Inc.’s Google didn’t respond to requests for comment.
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