The Candidates on the Economy (1/2)

High food and fuel prices. Housing and credit problems. Job losses. Worries about a recession. No wonder the economy is a top issue for American voters.

Senator John McCain says tax cuts are needed for growth. The Republican presidential candidate set out his economic plan in a speech this week in Pennsylvania. He would push Congress to make President Bush's tax cuts permanent. And he would aim to lower the top rate of income tax for businesses, from thirty-five percent to twenty-five percent.

In all, Senator McCain proposes about two hundred billion dollars in new tax cuts for businesses and individuals. To help pay for them, he would cut earmarks, those special interest projects added to spending bills.He would also hold federal spending at most agencies to current levels and cut wasteful programs. But many experts say it is unlikely these cuts would equal the cost of the tax cuts.
 
The campaigns of Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton dismissed the McCain plan as a continuation of George Bush's policies. Both Democrats say they are against tax cuts for the wealthy. They propose moderate tax cuts for the middle class.

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粮价和燃料价格飙升；房屋和信贷问题；失业；担心经济萧条。无疑经济是美国选民首要关注的问题。

参议员约翰·麦凯恩说，国家发展需要减税。这位共和党总统候选人本周在宾州的演讲中陈述了他的这个经济计划。他将推进国会使布什总统的减税政策永久化。而且，他意图将商业最高所得税从35%降低到25%。

总之，参议员麦凯恩提议在新的减税政策中将商业和个人税收降低2000亿美元。为了帮助弥补这些，他将减低“专项拨款“，该款项用于为特殊利益项目增加资金。他将把联邦用于多数机构的花费维持在现有的水平并且削减一些浪费项目。但是许多专家说，这些削减不可能弥补减免税收的代价。

民主党竞选者巴拉克·奥巴马和希拉里·克林顿驳斥麦凯恩的计划只是乔治·布什政策的延续。这两位民主党竞选者说他们反对减免有钱人的纳税。他们建议适当的削减中产阶级的纳税。