Congress finally passed the budget for Fiscal Year 2006, five months late. Their pay should certainly be docked, since this is their main responsibility. The lateness of the budget is symbolic of the congressional leadership’s disregard for the public good. The budget cuts programs that are vital to working families, women and children, and to elderly women. At the same time, tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, and increases in money for the war in
The Fiscal Year 2007 budget that the President released in early February (this is only the President’s wish list) continues more of the same. The president wants to make permanent the first-term tax cuts, paying for those cuts by reducing entitlement programs (such as Medicaid and Medicare) and drastically reducing non-military discretionary spending. It includes the costs of an initial Social Security privatization scheme. The fiscal health of the nation is clearly not a priority as Bush’s proposals would add $3.6 trillion to the national debt. The Congressional Budget Office warned in the Budget and Economic Outlook that the current structure of taxation and spending is unsustainable.
Take Action!
1. Go to this link at the National Organization for Women (NOW) web site and either send a thank you if your representatives voted against the budget cuts, or reprimand those who didn’t.
http://www.capwiz.com/now/issues /alert/?alertid=8462376
2. The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) has information on the federal Dependent Care Tax Credit, the Earned Income Credit, and the Child Tax Credit that can affect the taxes of many people who may not be aware of the programs. See below for their website and please forward to others:
Did you know that you might be eligible for tax benefits to help pay for your child care and other expenses and reduce the income taxes you pay or increase your tax refund?
The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) has prepared a variety of federal and state-specific materials to inform you about some of the federal and state tax benefits for which you may be eligible, and to assist advocates in educating others about the value of these benefits.
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