Free Meals at your job: Are the meals considered taxable income?

Silicon Valley is home to some of the largest corporations such as Google and Facebook. Some of those companies provide its employees with free gourmet meals and snacks. The IRS is currently considering weather those meals are considered a fringe meal which is considered taxable. According to the article Google has 120 cafes worldwide that serves 50,000 meals a day. The article goes on to say that if an employee was provided with 2 meals a day at an average of $8 to $10 a meal, then this individual would have to pay between $4000 and $5000 a year.

I agree with a few of the experts believing that he meals should be considered taxable income. Most large corporations and businesses have some form of cafeteria in their office or their office is located in an area that allows its employees to travel on their lunch or dinner breaks to grab some chow. An employee who travels out of the office has to pay for their meals unless a client is taking them out to lunch. For example I know that Pratt & Whitney charges its employees if they purchase food at their cafeteria. Some people enjoy bringing and making their lunch to work everyday such as my dad and I often remember him in the kitchen making himself a sandwich or asking me to him him his lunch since he was pressed for time. That meal that is made at home, bought at work or purchased at a local dinning establishment is paid for my the employee. In all of these circumstances employees have to pay for their meal, so I believe that any employee who is provided a free meal by its company should be taxed on their meal since everyone else has to pay for their meals.

This issue raises another important question in my mind that relates to this issue. Companies have decided to pay for it’s employees gym memberships because the company wants a healthy and productive employee. This makes complete since from a business perspective, but is this “free” membership also considered a fringe benefit and is that membership taxable? Any thoughts or opinions?!

Here is a link to the article:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324050304578408461566171752.html