I reported last week that the Consumer Confidence Index plunged unexpectedly in June, and forecasters are still trying to figure out why the mood of the country turned so sour last month. Part of the reason is the fact that the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 are set to automatically expire at the end of this year. President Obama has said that he wants to extend the Bush tax cuts for all Americans except those households making $250,000 or more per year. Yet the legislation to extend the Bush tax cuts for all but the 'rich' is stalled in Congress, and Americans are worried that we will see the largest tax increase in history in 2011.
We will also examine in detail why raising income taxes on the 'wealthy' is bad news for small businesses and job creation, especially with our fragile economy and high unemployment. For example, do you know that two-thirds of small business profits are generated by households making over $250,000 per year? That's according to the IRS. With taxes on this group set to rise from 35% to 39.6% next year (actually to 40.8% with the phase-out of itemized deductions), it's no wonder that small business owners are reluctant to hire new workers. President Obama has yet to figure out that soaking the rich does NOT result in higher income tax revenues.
And at the end of this week's E-Letter, I will give you the results from our recent FINANCIAL LITERACY QUIZ. Over 6,000 readers took the quiz and most scored very well. Congratulations! I think you'll find the results very interesting.
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