Just wanted to get people's thoughts on the upcoming fiscal cliff. Here's some information on what will happen once the Bush tax cuts expire. - The 10 percent bracket would disappear. The 15 percent bracket would become the lowest tax rate. And the 25, 28, 33 and 35 percent rate brackets would rise to 28, 31, 36 and 39.6 percent. - The capital gains rate on assets held longer than a year would increase to 20 percent from 15 percent for middle- and upper-income taxpayers and rise to 10 percent from zero for those with lower incomes. - Dividends would be taxed as ordinary income rather than at the same rate as capital gains. - The per-child tax credit would revert to $500 from its current level of $1,000 and would cease to be refundable. - Expansions of the earned income tax credit, the dependent care credit and the adoption credit would expire. http://www.nfib.com/advocacy/item/cmsid/60477
Thoughts from this one guy Who advised clinton during his successful years while a surplus was built. Democrats, here are eight principles to guide you in the coming showdown over the fiscal cliff: ONE: HOLD YOUR GROUND. The wealthy have to pay their fair share of taxes. That’s what the election was all about, and we won. It’s only fair they pay more. They’re taking home record share of national income and wealth, and have lowest effective tax rate in living memory. TWO: NO DEAL IS BETTER THAN A BAD DEAL. You’re in a strong bargaining position. If you do nothing, the Bush tax cuts automatically expire in January, and we go back to rates during Clinton administration. Which isn’t such a bad thing. As I recall we had a pretty good economy during the Clinton years. THREE: MAKE REPUBLICANS VOTE ON EXTENDING THE TAX CUTS JUST FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS. After all the Bush tax cuts expire, have Republicans vote on an extending the Bush tax cut just for the middle-class. If they refuse and try to hold those tax cuts hostage to tax cuts for the wealthy, it will show whose side they’re on. They’ll pay the price in 2014. FOUR: DEMAND HIGHER TAX RATES ON WEALTHY, NOT JUST LIMITS ON DEDUCTIONS. Don’t fall for Republican offers to limit some tax deductions on the wealthy. Demand we go back to higher tax rates on the wealthy and eliminate their unfair tax loopholes, so they truly start paying their fair share. FIVE: DON’T CUT SAFETY NETS. Don’t sacrifice Medicare or Social Security, or programs for the poor. Americans depend on these safety nets and can’t afford any benefit cuts. SIX: DON’T CUT INVESTMENTS IN OUR FUTURE PRODUCTIVITY. Education, basic R&D, and infrastructure aren’t spending; they’re investments in our future prosperity. If the return on these investments is greater than the cost, they ought to be made, period. SEVEN: CUT SPENDING ON MILITARY AND CORPORATE WELFARE. You want to cut, cut spending on the military — which now exceeds the military spending of the next 13 largest military spenders in the world combined. And cut corporate welfare — support to agribusiness, oil and gas, Big Pharma, big insurance, and Wall Street. EIGHT: PUT JOBS BEFORE DEFICIT REDUCTION. Finally, Don’t cut the budget deficit as long as unemployment remains high. Otherwise you’ll cause the economy to contract, making the deficit even larger in proportion. That’s the austerity trap Europe has fallen into. We need to create American prosperity, not European austerity. Remember: Jobs come first. Robert Reich http://wallstreetpit.com/98017-demo...in-the-coming-showdown-over-the-fiscal-cliff/
