By Alex Greg for MailOnline The IRS wants a bite out of Silicon Valley's free lunches, which the agency says are a fringe benefit and therefore taxable. Tech companies such as Google, Facebook and Twitter are known for their freebies - including lavish free lunch offerings for members of staff. The IRS has informed tech giants that the free gourmet grub could be subject to a tax of up to 30 per cent of the meal's 'fair market value.' No lunch tax breaks: The IRS has listed 'employer-provided meals' as a top priority for the next fiscal year Facebook perks: Employees at tech companies such as Facebook have meals provided to them free of charge which the IRS says should be considered part of their taxable income
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The IRS wants to tax Silicon Valley tech companies' free lunches
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The agency has listed 'employer-provided meals' as one of its top priorities for the next fiscal year
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It says free meals for tech company employees should be classed as a taxable fringe benefit
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Tech companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Google all provide gourmet meals for their staff
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The agency would likely seek back-taxes from the companies themselves and tax employees going forward
Feed the fire: @placeholder restaurants and cafeterias around the world serve about 50,000 free meals a day