From Deseret News archives:
House adds $56 billion to package of tax cuts
Cannon, Bishop back the bill; Matheson votes no
Voting 234-197, almost purely along party lines, the House approved $56 billion in tax cuts over five years, one day after it passed other tax cuts totaling $39 billion over five years. The biggest provision would extend President Bush's 2001 tax cut for stock dividends and capital gains for two years at a cost of $20 billion.
Utah Republicans Rob Bishop and Chris Cannon voted for the bill. Utah Democrat Jim Matheson voted against it.
House approval of the tax cut was welcome news for President Bush, whose tax plans looked all but dead a few weeks ago. All the maverick Republican conservatives in House, who had pushed party leaders to pass $51 billion in spending cuts, voted enthusiastically for tax cuts costing nearly twice as much.
"Clearly, tax relief is part of the deficit solution, not part of the problem," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas and one of the mavericks. "More economic growth and more jobs means more tax revenue flowing into the federal Treasury. Tax revenues are up close to 15 percent, the highest level in U.S. history, and the budget deficit has shrunk by more than $100 billion."
The budget that the House passed just before Thanksgiving would cut $51 billion over five years from programs like Medicaid, food stamps, farm subsidies and child-support enforcement. The Republican-controlled Senate passed a much more cautious tax package just before Thanksgiving. The Senate bill would cut taxes by $60 billion over five years, and it would not extend the tax cut on stock dividends.
The conflict between the House and Senate bills is unlikely to be resolved before Congress recesses for Christmas.
The conflict between the tax bills means that taxpayers will face uncertainty about a long list of popular tax cuts that are set to expire at the end of 2005. The biggest expiring tax cut is one that prevents the Alternative Minimum Tax from applying to millions of additional families with incomes above $100,000 a year.
Democrats accused the Republican majority of expanding the cuts to the very richest families while cutting programs to help the poor.
Comments
- Ontario Mormons' nativity scenes 9:41 a.m.
- Rabbis join NJ gay marriage debate 9:03 a.m.
- Afghan buildup on faster timetable 9:01 a.m.
- Salahi denies crashing W.H. party 8:58 a.m.
- Suspect in police slayings killed 8:55 a.m.
- Arrests made in Roy slayings 8:35 a.m.
- Bowden meeting with school officials 8:01 a.m.
- FIFA: Ireland won't be in WCup 8:00 a.m.
- Florida's Dunlap arrested, charged 8:00 a.m.
- Stocks climb early as dollar slides 7:59 a.m.
- Hall reprimanded by MWC
- Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal
- Utes won't respond to Hall
- 2 citations issued at Y.-U. game
- Cougs begin bowl preparations
- Mitchell called intelligent, controlling
- Y. student vanished in China
- Max Hall issues apology
- Daughter: Mitchell fed me my pet
- BYU says Hall incident resolved
- Hall mouths off about hate of Utah
899 - Cougars beat Utes in overtime
481 - Hall reprimanded by MWC
385 - Max Hall issues apology
382 - Hall's pain reflects self-betrayal
317 - Utes won't respond to Hall
264 - BYU is champion of the state
140 - Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
123 - Cave to be sealed with body inside
120 - Religion in politics is tiresome
113
My husband was teaching his 6th-grade class in Salt Lake last year when...
$600 million for a 6 mile long "bridge" across Utah Lake? That should be a...
No matter who it was that did not respond, I think all of the police...
A great article! We have 6 boys (not quite so close in age), and are finding...
My in laws are raising my wife's niece (even though her mother lives at home...
Regardless, The letter writer is spot on. Sports fans have gotten...
Agreed, they want to come to the USA for a 'better life' yet bring the old...
Ironic and sad that Coach W.'s wife got a bit roughed up due to a Ute fan's...
You will lose to Skyline first. Skyline owns you. The district said...
The rivalry should be fierce and heated. It makes it more fun. But it...
Hall shouldn't have made the comments, but some people will have a hard time...



You can be the first to comment on this story.