On Friday, the House of Representatives passed a new tax and spending bill. Over the weekend the Associated Press published a list explaining the changes that would occur if the legislation were signed into law. You can find a few of the highlights below, or read the full article on Google News.
- Extends for one year about $32 billion in tax breaks that expired in January, including a property tax deduction for people who don't itemize, lucrative credits that help businesses finance research and develop new products, and a sales tax deduction that mainly helps people in states without income taxes.
- Increases taxes on investment and hedge fund managers, venture capitalists and many real estate investment partnerships by $18.7 billion.
- Increases taxes on oil companies by $11.8 billion by raising from 8 cents a barrel to 34 cents a barrel the tax they pay into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.
- Raises taxes on multinational companies some $14.5 billion by limiting their ability to use credits for paying foreign taxes to lower their U.S. tax liability.
- Imposes $11.2 billion in new Medicare taxes on lawyers, doctors and other service providers.
