Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Will tax relief programs be eliminated under Obama?

Just about 2 years ago, December 20, 2006, President Bush signed the "Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006." Very little seemed to do with health except the expansion of HSAs and Obama intends to federalize health care, so not much to point out there. Most was about growing the economy through reducing or maintaining reductions on taxes on various businesses, expanding energy resources, overseas markets, and some help with college tuition. It was an economic stimulus--at a time when the President reported, "The unemployment rate has remained low at 4.5 percent, and the latest figures show that real hourly wages increased 2.3 percent in the last year, meaning an extra $1,350 for this year for the typical family of four with both parents working."

If tax cuts were considered important then to keep the economy growing, how much more important now. Will Obama cut? Expand? Increase regulations so he can by-pass Congress? Obviously, the markets are very afraid of him, as investors see the growth and tax benefits of the last 8 years slipping away. These were the provisions:
    1) Extend the deductibility of tuition and higher education expenses
    2) Extend and modernize the research and development tax credit; allow businesses to deduct part of their R&D investments from their taxes to encourage innovative products, medicines, and technologies
    3) Extend vital provisions Of The Gulf Opportunity Zone (GO Zone) Act (signed 2005)
    4) Keep in place key tax credits passed to help rebuild Gulf Coast communities
    5) Expand and diversify alternative energy, including clean coal technology (remember during the campaign Obama promised to destroy the coal industry through cap and trade which will seriously impact Ohio, VA, PA, KY, WV)
    6) Access to key portions of America's Outer Continental Shelf to reach more than 1 billion additional barrels of oil and nearly 6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
    7) Authorize permanent normal trade relations with Vietnam
    8) Extend a series of programs with other developing nations to give duty-free status to products they export to the United States
    9) Bring Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) within the reach of more Americans by raising contribution limits and make the accounts more flexible
View letter to President elect Obama.

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