Increase the capital gains and dividends taxes for higher-income taxpayers
Increase capital gains and dividends taxes from 15 to 20 percent for those making more than $250,000 (couples) or $200,000 (single)
Expand the child and dependent care credit
Expand and make refundable the child and dependent care credit.
Create a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners
Create a $10 billion fund to help homeowners refinance or sell their homes. "The Fund will not help speculators, people who bought vacation homes or people who falsely represented their incomes."
Provide option for a pre-filled-out tax form
Will direct the Internal Revenue Service to "give taxpayers the option of a pre-filled tax form to verify, sign and return to the IRS or online. This will eliminate the need for Americans to hire expensive tax preparers and to gather information that the federal government already has on file."
Create a mortgage interest tax credit for non-itemizers
Create a refundable tax credit equal to 10 percent of mortgage interest for nonitemizers, up to a maximum credit of $800.
Require automatic enrollment in 401(k) plans
Require automatic enrollment in IRA plans
Require employers who do not offer retirement plans to offer their workers access to automatic IRAs and contribute via payroll deduction.
Create a retirement savings tax credit for low incomes
A tax credit for retirement savings up to $500 (couples) or $250 (singles). Phases out when incomes exceed $65,000 (couples) or $32,500 (single). Indexed for inflation.
End income tax for seniors making less than $50,000
"Will eliminate all income taxation of seniors making less than $50,000 per year. This will eliminate taxes for 7 million seniors -- saving them an average of $1,400 a year-- and will also mean that 27 million seniors will not need to file an income tax return at all."
End no-bid contracts above $25,000
"Will ensure that federal contracts over $25,000 are competitively bid."
Create a $60 billion bank to fund roads and bridges
"Will address the infrastructure challenge by creating a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to expand and enhance, not supplant, existing federal transportation investments. This independent entity will be directed to invest in our nation's most challenging transportation infrastructure needs. The Bank will receive an infusion of federal money, $60 billion over 10 years, to provide financing to transportation infrastructure projects across the nation. These projects will create up to two million new direct and indirect jobs and stimulate approximately $35 billion per year in new economic activity."
Repeal the Bush tax cuts for higher incomes
Repeal the Bush tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 (couples) or $200,000 (single)
Phase out exemptions and deductions for higher earners
Restore the phaseouts of personal exemptions and itemized deductions for those making more than $250,000 (couples) or $200,000 (single), with threshholds indexed for inflation.
Sign the Employee Free Choice Act, making it easier for workers to unionize
"Obama is a cosponsor and strong advocate of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), a bipartisan effort to make the unionization process more transparent and increase penalties on companies that violate employee rights. He will sign EFCA into law as president."
Lift the payroll tax cap on earnings above $250,000
"Barack Obama believes that the first place to look to strengthen Social Security is the payroll tax system. Obama believes that one strong option is increasing the maximum amount of earnings covered by Social Security by lifting the payroll tax cap on only earnings above $250,000."
Forbid companies in bankruptcy from giving executives bonuses
"Protect the jobs and benefits of workers and retirees when corporations file for bankruptcy by telling companies that they cannot issue bonuses for executives during bankruptcy while their workers watch their pensions disappear."
Allow workers to claim more in unpaid wages and benefits in bankruptcy court
"Increase the amount of unpaid wages and benefits workers can claim in bankruptcy court against their employer."
Allow imported prescription drugs
"Allow Americans to buy their medicines from other developed countries if the drugs are safe and prices are lower outside the U.S."
Prevent drug companies from blocking generic drugs
Allow Medicare to negotiate for cheaper drug prices
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