Minnesota Farm to Pay $154,000 in Taxes on Guestworker Wages (1)

A Minnesota fruit and vegetable farm is liable for more than $154,000 in unemployment insurance taxes it should’ve paid on the wages of H-2A and J-1 guestworkers it hired between 2012 and 2015.

The work performed by the visa holders is “covered agricultural employment” that is subject to the tax under state law, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled June 12. The ruling upholds a determination by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

The tax applies to visa workers employed in Minnesota even though federal unemployment insurance taxes aren’t collected, the state justices said.

In 2016, the federal Labor ...