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<p>WASHINGTON - Congress may extend some tax cuts that are due to diminish at year's end, including new child tax credits and a bracket expansion that lowered taxes for wage earners. But lawmakers have concluded that making all of President Bush's tax cuts permanent will have to wait until after the fall election.</p>

Tax refunds expected to jump 27% Fri Nov 14, 6:22 AM ET Add Top Stories - USATODAY.com to My Yahoo! By Barbara Hagenbaugh, USA TODAY Taxpayers' refund checks will increase nearly 27% to an average $2,500 per family early next year, according to new forecasts from tax experts and economists, who say the windfalls will aid consumers, the economy and President Bush (news - web sites)'s re-election campaign. As a result of the 2003 tax cut, about 8 million families who did not receive refunds this year will likely get them in 2004, says tax software publisher Petz Enterprises. It...

WASHINGTON - More than $118 million in tax refunds and advance child credit payments owed to more than 200,000 taxpayers went undelivered this summer, the Internal Revenue Service (news - web sites) said Monday. "All we need is a good address. As soon as we get the correct address, we can start the check on its way," IRS Commissioner Mark Everson said. Families who expected but didn't receive an advance child credit payment this summer must act by Dec. 5 to claim an undelivered refund this year. After the deadline, families must wait until they file their 2003 tax returns...

Reuters Labor Day Sales Boost U.S. Retail Outlook Tuesday September 2, 11:14 am ET By Emily Kaiser CHICAGO (Reuters) - Favorable weather and improving consumer attitudes drove strong Labor Day weekend sales, according to early indications, bolstering hopes for a good holiday shopping season, retail analysts said on Tuesday. "The way you can describe this weekend is spectacular," said Britt Beemer, head of America's Research Group, which conducts surveys to track U.S. consumer trends. "Nine out of 10 times, Labor Day is a predictor of Christmas sales," he said. "A year ago, Labor Day was one of the softest we'd...

“This will be a week from hell for Republicans!” declared House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi in July as she led her troops into a procedural battle in Congress. The cause: to protest the pace on expansion of the child tax credit. Rep. Pelosi’s procedural motions were easily defeated by the majority, but the challenge was clear— the Left is going to war on the child tax credit. The aggressive tactics began almost immediately after Congress passed a version of President Bush’s jobs and growth tax cut package, which increases the existing $600 child tax credit to $1,000. Even better, the...

U.S. home starts hit 17-year high in July Tuesday August 19, 5:01 pm ET By Eric Burroughs (Updates with market close)NEW YORK, Aug 19 (Reuters) - U.S. home builders cranked up new construction to a 17-year high in July as quickly rising mortgage rates prompted consumers to buy sooner rather than later, a report showed on Tuesday, the latest sign of the economy's brightening outlook. In a separate report, the University of Michigan's survey showed consumer sentiment dipped during the first half of August as Americans remain worried about job security. Sentiment has essentially remained flat for three months after...

Hundreds Not Receiving Child Tax Credit Check to Surround White House; Edelman, Daschle, Pelosi Rally Hundreds Left behind 7/21/03 2:01:00 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor Contact: Toby Chaudhuri of the Children's Defense Fund, 202-662-3609 News Advisory: -- Edelman, Daschle, Pelosi Rally Hundreds Left behind -- Congress to Recess While Richer Families Receive Checks this Week More than 700 youths living in households denied the child tax credit check their richer friends and neighbors will receive beginning late this week will surround the White House Wednesday to demand that President George Bush not delay their families' fair share....

<p>Like millions of other parents across the country, Stephanie Wolflink and her husband are getting money back from the federal government this week, a rebate sparked by tax breaks enacted this spring.</p> <p>But Wolflink isn't happy about it. She says her child tax refund, and the rest of the government's $330 billion tax cut package, comes at the expense of social programs and other services. And rather than keeping the money, she's giving it away to charity in protest.</p>

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.The Internal Revenue Service is putting off until next year a pilot program to require certain low-income taxpayers to provide conclusive proof of their eligibility for a special tax credit and reduce the number of people covered by the program. But it will also look more closely at other poor wage earners seeking the credit. Terry Lemons, an I.R.S. spokesman, said in an interview yesterday that the heightened scrutiny for the second group would constitute "a new area of emphasis" on poor people whom the agency suspects of having misrepresented their eligibility...

Families across the Brazos Valley will receive about 22,000 checks totaling $13.5 million as the federal government sends out advance child tax credits, officials said. About 25 million people nationwide are receiving the checks, which the U.S. Treasury Department estimates will average $623 per person. The IRS began mailing them Friday. “I’ve talked to people who have already gotten their checks, and they’re excited about having that extra money,” said Kenneth Vargas, an IRS spokesman in Austin. “They’re talking about spending it for back-to-school things they need or for last-minute vacations before school starts back up. “Judging from what I’ve...

<p>July 31, 2003 -- It's cash-back time for New York families as President Bush's $400-per-child tax-credit checks are now landing in mailboxes across the city.</p> <p>Some pleased parents have already banked - or spent - their check from Uncle Sam and hundreds of thousands more are set to get their treasury payout over the next few days.</p>

<p>The check is in the mail for most people who claimed the child tax credit last year.</p> <p>If it's not, it soon will be.</p> <p>The federal government has begun mailing the first of more than 600,000 checks to Virginia residents. The checks are part of an accelerated new law that increased the child tax credit.</p>

Some Parents Question Wisdom of Tax Cuts By DAVID CRARY For millions of middle-class families, the check is in the mail _ $400, $800, perhaps more _ courtesy of Congress. Parents benefiting from the expanded child tax credit will welcome the cash, but some question the wisdom of such payouts at a time of deficits and cutbacks. "I'd rather have the public services and the public schools have the money they need," said Jean Powers, 41, a mother of two from Beaverton, Ore. "I'm not happy with it." Even more displeased are some of the low-income parents not receiving the...

The checks are in the mailbox. Friday, the Internal Revenue Service sent out the first wave of about 25 million checks - including more than a half-million to addresses in Wisconsin - as an advance payment on the expanded child credit in the new tax law. Another wave will follow next week, with a final one washing into the nation's homes the week after that. The checks came about because the new law increased the child tax credit to $1,000 from $600. They will pump some $15 billion into the pockets of Americans in a bid to add pep to...

<p>The Treasury Department is mailing out checks worth up to $400 per child to more than 25 million middle-income households, a summertime windfall from tax cuts enacted in May.</p> <p>Jodi Mendoza, 38, of Portland, Ore., said she plans to use at least some of the money to buy school clothes and supplies for her three children.</p>

<p>PHILADELPHIA &#8212; President Bush yesterday toured a check-processing plant that will begin mailing out 25 million tax rebates today, which he said would further stimulate the recovering economy.</p> <p>"See, I think it's very important for our fellow citizens to understand: We're not just talking theory," he said after inspecting facilities that print and package the U.S. Treasury checks.</p>

<p>A television ad that began airing Tuesday tells Hispanic audiences and other poor families to expect "nada," or "nothing," in their mailboxes Friday when the government begins mailing child credit rebate checks.</p> <p>The ad is aimed at informing Hispanic families that of the 12 million children whose families won't get the tax credit, a third of them are Hispanic, Congressional Hispanic Caucus members said.</p>

<p>The Treasury Department will begin mailing $400-per-child checks to 25 million taxpaying families this week, and Democrats are putting on a full-court press to force Republicans to extend the credits to 6.5 million families who don't earn enough to pay income taxes.</p>

WASHINGTON (AP)--The House Democratic leader pledged Monday to disrupt business as usual this week to pressure lawmakers to expand the child tax credit for more low-income families. ``This will be a week from hell for the Republicans,'' said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi and House Democrats want Congress to enact legislation expanding the child tax credit before lawmakers leave Friday for a monthlong summer recess. Friday also marks the day the first round of child credit rebate checks, worth up to $400 per child, will be mailed to middle-income families. The Treasury Department plans to send checks to the...

Can someone update me on the status of the Child Tax Rebates we were supposed to be getting starting this July? Also, the retroactive tax rate decrease ( to last Jan ), that was supposed tokick in?

There is a classic slogan in America that is probably as old as the country itself. You've heard it many times, and it goes like this: There are only two sure things in life - death and taxes. Unless the fountain of youth is discovered or secret advances are made in human cloning, I think we still can count on passing from this earth at some point. However, the paying of taxes is not the certainty it once was. With each passing tax bill, more and more Americans no longer are paying income taxes. Thus, the question arises: Should these...

(CNSNews.com) - The latest round of child tax credits has raised the ire of fiscal conservatives in Congress. Combined with the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), it seems that some workers who owe no income tax will be getting a big windfall, courtesy of Uncle Sam. That makes for bad tax and welfare policy, say critics like House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and the Republican Study Committee (RSC), a caucus of House conservatives. "When someone is already exempt from taxes and still gets a government check, it's not a tax rebate - it's public assistance," said RSC Chairman Sue...

<p>In just five years, a demographic tidal wave will begin that will forever alter the federal government. The large baby boom generation (search) will start retiring and cause the costs of Social Security (search) and Medicare to explode.</p> <p>Unfortunately, Congress seems blissfully unaware of the coming crisis as it works to create another elderly entitlement in the form of a $400 billion Medicare prescription drug benefit.</p>

<p>June 17, 2003 -- WASHINGTON - President Bush told parents yesterday their $400-per-child rebate checks from Uncle Sam "will be in the mail by July."</p> <p>"I was going to say the check's in the mail," Bush said. "Better be in the mail or somebody might be looking for work in Washington."</p>

June 16, 2003, 7:00 a.m. Republicans are having a hard time getting traction on the idea that it is wrong to increase refundable child tax credits to families with no income-tax liability. It’s not a question of being stingy; many are genuinely concerned about the growth of a non-taxpaying class that potentially can vote subsidies for itself under the guise of tax reduction. In practice, however, this is less of a problem than it appears. In truth, Republicans have no one but themselves to blame for the mess they have gotten into. It was they who invented the first refundable...

75% Of American People Wrong On Child Tax Credit! June 16, 2003 In the audio link below, I share with you the latest news on the child tax credit for people that don't pay taxes. "Rush, how can you have a tax credit for people who don't pay taxes?" Well, you can't - but that hasn’t stopped certain Republicans from trying to buy their way out of Democrat attacks with your money. The "tax writer" for the Associated Press writes a story on those few Republicans in the House who are fighting for what's right on this. Those Republicans demand...

SEN. BLANCHE LINCOLN of Arkansas, a cautious liberal Democrat from a state trending Republican, was the clearest winner in the post-mortem of the year’s great tax battle. She won cash payments for low income people under the guise of tax legislation, while the Republican administration and majorities were in headlong retreat. GOP leaders in the House at least retreated while kicking, muttering and trying to sweeten the bitter potion by adding a true tax cut for middle-income workers who actually pay taxes. Nonetheless, they are following the Senate in retreat. Unable to withstand Democratic accusations that the tax bill left...

Over the years, Democrats have turned class warfare into an art form, but lately the experts are being taught a thing or two about pitting one class against another by none other than their Republican counterparts. To review, Democrats' most favorite class-warfare tactic is, of course, to portray themselves as champions of the "little guy," the "working family," and the underprivileged – the same kind of people that are nowhere to be found when the party takes to raising campaign funds. Can you seriously imagine the likes of pretty boy Sen. John Edwards, Rep. Dick Gephardt, Al Gore or Bill...

<p>House Republicans pushed a new $82 billion tax cut through the chamber yesterday that would guarantee the $1,000-per-child tax credit remains in place through 2010.</p> <p>The move is the latest exchange in an ongoing battle over President Bush's tax-cut proposal, which was signed into law last month. But even as the president was signing the law, critics demanded that Congress revisit it to extend the increased child tax credit to low-income families that don't earn enough to pay income tax.</p>

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, a cautious liberal Democrat from a state trending Republican, was the clearest winner in the post-mortem of the year's great tax battle. She won cash payments for low income people under the guise of tax legislation, while the Republican administration and majorities were in headlong retreat. GOP leaders in the House at least retreated while kicking, muttering and trying to sweeten the bitter potion by adding a true tax cut for middle-income workers who actually pay taxes. Nonetheless, they are following the Senate in retreat. Unable to withstand Democratic accusations that the tax...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republican leaders ignored White House pressure for quick passage of a Senate bill to expand child tax credits for low-income families and scheduled a vote on a package that also would give bigger tax cuts to high-income couples and members of the armed forces. Majority Leader Tom DeLay said Tuesday the House will use the Senate's bill, which would send rebate checks of up to $400 per child to 6.5 million low-income families this summer, as a vehicle for language to make tax cuts President Bush signed last month less temporary.</p>

The Reparations pipe dream and The Taxcut reality for Blacks Americans When I think I finally have the self-promoted and selected black leaders figured out they throw me another crave ball. While doing research online I came across Jesse Jackson’s weekly commentary in the Chicago Sun Times, where he is railing against taxcuts and carrying the Democrat Banner that taxcuts only benefit the wealth, funny that such an argument would come from a wealth man like Jackson, he goes on to state in his commentary that taxcuts put in danger social programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, as well as...

Bush Pressing House to Back Credit for Poor By DAVID FIRESTONE WASHINGTON, June 9 — The White House all but demanded today that House Republicans quickly approve a Senate bill to increase the child tax credit for 6.5 million low-income families. "Pass it," said Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, when asked what President Bush would say to Republican lawmakers who disagree with the bill. "His advice to the House Republicans is to pass it, to send it to him, so he can sign it." The remarks were the strongest sign yet the administration wants to douse a political brushfire...

Let's Be "Fair," Give Child Tax Credit To the Childless June 9, 2003 The Democrat proposal to give the child tax credit to people who don't make enough money to pay taxes, created a stir in the e-mails and on the phone lines Monday. Remember two things: #1 - Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) voted against extending this credit to low-income families. #2 - Republican tax policy has removed 13 million Americans from the tax rolls, moving the burden for paying income taxes onto the upper brackets. The downside of this is that fewer people have a...

<p>Senate Republicans are chagrined for giving in last week to Democratic demands to extend the child-care tax credit to people who don't pay income taxes. They should be embarrassed, but it's even worse than that: They also voted to raise marginal tax rates on more of their own voters.</p>

A LOT OF THINGS MORE IMPORTANT THAN TRUTH A new econoblogger, Paul Antler (known as "Dr. A" around the economics department of Roosevelt University) thinks that Paul Krugman "pulls a Maureen Dowd" in his op-ed in today's New York Times. Krugman wrote, "Most media attention has focused on the child tax credit that wasn't. As in 2001, the administration softened the profile of a tax cut mainly aimed at the wealthy by including a credit for families with children. But at the last minute, a change in wording deprived 12 million children of some or all of that tax credit....

WASHINGTON - The White House backed a Senate bill yesterday that would increase the child tax credit for the working poor stiffed by last month's tax cut. President Bush's championing of the bill could pressure the House to add its support - despite the avowed opposition of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.). "The President supports what the Senate passed and if it had been in the tax cut [last month] he would have signed it," deputy White House spokesman Scott McClellan told the Daily News. The Senate voted 94-2 on Thursday to increase the child tax credit to $1,000...

SA 862. Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mrs. Lincoln, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Voinovich, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Warner, Mr. Stevens, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Byrd, Ms. Collins, and Mr. Nelson of Florida) proposed an amendment to the bill H.R. 1308, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to accelerate the increase in the refundability of the child tax credit, and for other purposes; as follows: Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Relief for Working Families Tax Act of 2003''. TITLE I--CHILD TAX CREDIT SEC. 101....