奧巴馬宣布將提出為中產階級永久性減稅計劃

US President Barack Obama pushed billions of dollars in new business tax incentives and spending on big construction projects Wednesday, trying to convince a balky Congress to pass measures intended to spur the economy and create jobs.

Obama traveled to Ohio to tout programs that include accelerating $200 billion in business tax write-offs, which the White House says would eventually cost just $30 billion, an infrastructure spending boost of at least $50 billion, and increasing and permanently extending a tax credit for research and development costing $100 billion over 10 years.

Obama's speech is expected to be strongly political, and it comes less than two months before congressional elections when his Democrats face the threat of big losses. He was seen couching his economic plans as an expression of his values, favoring the middle class over the wealthiest Americans and big corporate interests such as oil and gas companies.

"These measures will help create jobs while building an American economy that is more competitive and productive over the long term," Obama's communications director, Dan Pfeiffer, said in a White House blog.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs acknowledged that Cleveland was selected as the venue for Obama's speech because House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio had made a speech there last month calling on Obama to fire his economic team.

Boehner, going on the offensive ahead of Obama's speech, called Wednesday for a two-year freeze on all current US tax rates, including Bush-era tax cuts for the rich that are set to expire at the end of this year.

Speaking on ABC's "Good Morning America" show, Boehner also proposed that the government cut spending for next year to 2008 levels, before the controversial federal bailouts and Obama's $814 billion stimulus plan.

Republican leaders are skeptical about Obama's proposals, saying they are reluctant to back more spending because the $814 billion stimulus Obama got through Congress in early 2009 has not had the desired effect.
 相關中文新聞：

美國總統奧巴馬8日宣布，在本周內提出為美國中產階級的永久性減稅計劃。這是美國政府近期提出的一項重要刺激經濟舉措。

奧巴馬當天在美國老工業重鎮俄亥俄州克利夫蘭市發表演講時說，美國經濟復蘇的進程痛苦而緩慢，800萬美國人因為本次金融危機而失去工作。美國應當為年收入在25萬美元以下的中產階級永久性減稅。此外，這項減稅計劃還將使那些有助于美國國內研究和創新企業受益。

奧巴馬在講話中特別抨擊了上屆共和黨政府的經濟政策，稱美國經濟已經無法再負擔像上屆政府那樣減稅7000億美元，而使富人受益。他強調，共和黨為富人減稅的政策使美國就業流失海外。

為提振經濟，本月6日，奧巴馬在威斯康星州提出總額500億美元的基礎設施建設計劃。

目前，美國經濟復蘇緩慢，今年第二季度經濟增幅僅為1．6％。經濟增長乏力使得美國失業率居高難下。最新數據顯示美國8月份失業率升至9．6％。高失業率使民眾對奧巴馬政府的經濟政策日益不滿，也成為共和黨攻擊政府的口實。分析人士認為，美國經濟短期內難以擺脫對政府經濟刺激政策的依賴。奧巴馬此時推出減稅方案，意在為將于11月舉行的國會中期選舉爭取支持。

奧巴馬宣布，將不再延長對富裕階層，即年收入20萬美元的個人或年收入25萬美元以上的家庭的減稅措施，而將把占美國家庭98%的中產階級減稅優惠永久化。據美國稅務聯合委員會統計，根據奧巴馬提出的計劃，2011年稅收中80%將由年收入逾100萬美元的家庭負擔，其中收入在20萬至50萬美元之間的納稅人平均增稅532美元，收入在50萬至100萬美元之間的納稅人平均增稅9，800美元，收入超過100萬美元的納稅人平均增稅95，000美元。