Tax 'extenders' bill will await November elections: Senator Reid
1. Tax 'extenders' bill will await November elections: Senator
Reid
WASHINGTON Tue Jun 3, 2014 5:12pm EDT
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U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid talks during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on
campaign finance reform on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 3, 2014.
Credit: Reuters/Larry Downing
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An effort to renew $85 billion in tax breaks for individuals and businesses
is stalled in the U.S. Senate until after the November congressional elections, Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid said on Tuesday.
"I guess the answer is yes," Reid told reporters when asked whether the two-year tax break
extension was hopelessly deadlocked until November.
The legislation contains a mix of 50 temporary tax breaks, known in Congress as "tax extenders,"
that expired at the end of 2013 and would be renewed through 2015.
Reid complained that Republicans were blocking the legislation with a tactic known as the filibuster
that can indefinitely delay Senate bills even if a majority supports them.
Republicans have repeatedly complained that Reid was not letting them offer amendments to a
range of legislation before the Senate.
Election-year partisanship is leaving many initiatives in limbo at least until the November elections,
when all 435 House of Representatives seats and 36 of 100 Senate seats are in play.
The extenders bill would continue tax breaks for auto race tracks, wind energy, school teacher
expenses, Puerto Rican rum producers, multinational corporations and others.
House Republican leaders want to renew the tax breaks in a piecemeal fashion instead of with a
single big bill.
A post-election session in November likely will be the next chance for considering the tax breaks.
2. (Reporting By Richard Cowan and Patrick Temple-West; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Leslie
Adler)
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Comments (2)
I sure hope the GOP field a top candidate to oppose Reid in Nov. Time to retire this fella.
Why is there no specifics on which taxes Republicans want to raise?
They obviously do want to raise taxes, because if they agree to extending all the tax cuts there would
be absolutely no point opposing the bill.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/03/us-usa-tax-extenders-idUSKBN0EE2B120140603