Infrastructure

Position

News

• How to shrink a city
  Sep 5, 2010 — The Boston Globe
  Sometimes they shrink, and sometimes they shrink drastically. Urban farms, for example, are spreading in several cities. Edward Glaeser, an urban economist at Harvard, argues that cities like Detroit might think of shrinking in a more fundamental way, selling off parts of the city to private entities.
• McCain: Dems playing 'class warfare'; White House pushes R&D tax credit expansion; Graham: GOP winning by default
  Sep 5, 2010 — Washington Post
  He also pushed back on McCain, noting that Democrats have included tax breaks for small businesses in other pieces of legislation. She suggested that the plan could be paid for with revenue raised by allowing the tax cuts for the wealthy to expire. Tyson called for more big-ticket infrastructure spending on things like high-speed rail, though Zandi noted that such spending would have little near-term economic impact.
• Obama to lay out new economic plan
  Sep 5, 2010 — CNN
  The official said the president will push Congress to permanently extend the tax credit for business research and development costs. That proposal will cost $100 billion and be paid for by closing other corporate tax breaks, according to the official. Administration officials previously told CNN the president is considering a payroll tax holiday as well as new infrastructure spending, among several proposals his economic team has been weighing.
• Obama to Pitch Permanent Research Tax Credit
  Sep 5, 2010 — New York Times
  Obama is planning to outline the $100 billion proposal on Wednesday in a speech in Cleveland on the economy. Obama will call for expanding the simpler of two credit options available to businesses. It has always been passed as a temporary credit because of the revenue losses; Congress has extended it 13 times for as little as six months, and the uncertainty has long vexed businesses.
• President backing tax breaks
  Sep 5, 2010 — Washington Post
  Obama will ask lawmakers to close corporate tax breaks for multinational corporations and oil and gas companies.Congress has previously passed research tax credits on a temporary basis. Even the holiday on taxes may not be enough, the research and development tax credit may not be enough.
• Up by its bootstraps
  Sep 5, 2010 — The Boston Globe
  But five years ago developers looked at the former factories - located a block from commuter rail - and envisioned a new neighborhood of commuters, boutiques, restaurants, and coffee bars. With state and federal tax credits, developers spent $150 million to build more than 500 new apartments in the old downtown factories. Riviezzo, 22, pays about $1,000 a month in rent and cuts hair at a local salon.
• Dems have few options on economy
  Sep 3, 2010 — Politico
  If you’re President Barack Obama, you go out and talk about the economy — in Milwaukee on Monday, Cleveland on Wednesday and at a White House news conference Friday. Why should anything proposed so close to the election be treated any differently? Timing is to politics what location is to real estate.
• New tax breaks for business on table
  Sep 3, 2010 — Washington Post
  For example, a payroll-tax holiday - a top priority of many business groups - could be applied only to new hires or extended to current employees. It has become a joke."Many economists say Obama's policies have been reasonably effective at pulling the nation back from recession. And depending on its form and duration, a payroll-tax holiday could cost more than $300 billion.
• White House considers pre-midterm package of business tax breaks to spur hiring
  Sep 3, 2010 — Washington Post
  Policy staffers are debating a range of options. For example, a payroll-tax holiday - a top priority of many business groups - could be applied only to new hires or extended to current employees. And depending on its form and duration, a payroll-tax holiday could cost more than $300 billion.