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Originally posted by Piano*Dad:
I've heard mention of GOP desires to push sizable corporate tax cuts. I would oppose that.

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A forthcoming mammoth stimulus package will include expanding unemployment insurance, a top Republican senator said on Saturday.

The decision to include the provision is a major concession to Democrats, who had viewed bolstering the program as a top priority in the days-long negotiations.

"The Democrats are getting some of the things that they asked for me. They've talked all along about addressing the needs of workers – this does that, small businesses, this does that. They're getting what they wanted on unemployment insurance. This addresses that," Senate Republican Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters after a closed-door lunch.

Negotiators are still locked in meetings as they try to clinch an agreement "in principle" on the mammoth spending package, which is expected to come in above $1 trillion.

Both Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the top members of the Finance Committee, have stopped short of saying they have a deal on the unemployment insurance provision, arguing that it's

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Originally posted by Jack Frost:
Are the phas out numbers per person?

Jf

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As Congress pushes through a $2 trillion stimulus bill, some Americans can expect checks from the government to help them cope with the economic devastation stemming from the coronavirus crisis.

Those payments are expected to be $1,200 for individuals, or $2,400 for those who are married and file income taxes jointly. It also includes $500 per child.

But you have to meet certain qualifications in order to be eligible for the money, based on your adjusted gross income in your 2018 tax returns. If you earn more than $75,000 as an individual, $112,500 as the head of household or $150,000 if you are married and filing jointly, the amount of those checks starts to get reduced.

You also must have a valid Social Security number in order to receive the funds.

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Under the plan as it was being negotiated, individuals who earn $75,000 in adjusted gross income or less would get direct payments of $1,200 each, with married couples earning up to $150,000 receiving $2,400 -- and an additional $500 per each child. The payment would scale down by income, phasing out entirely at $99,000 for singles and $198,000 for couples without children.

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A handful of Republican senators on Wednesday threatened to delay the $2 trillion coronavirus spending bill over a proposed increase to unemployment insurance.

In a statement, Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said that the bill could provide a "strong incentive for employees to be laid off instead of going to work" because some people could theoretically make more by being unemployed.

"This isn’t an abstract, philosophical point — it’s an immediate, real-world problem," they continued. "If the federal government accidentally incentivizes layoffs, we risk life-threatening shortages in sectors where doctors, nurses, and pharmacists are trying to care for the sick, and where growers and grocers, truckers and cooks are trying to get food to families' tables."

They added, "We must sadly oppose the fast-tracking of this bill until this text is addressed, or the Department of Labor issues regulatory guidance that no American would earn more by not working than by working."

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Originally posted by piqué:
Where's the bill that's going to save people's lives? You know, that allows hospitals and clinics and health departments to test entire communities? The one that quintuples the number of ventilators and ICU beds? The one that builds triage hospitals? The one that dispenses free masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer to every American?

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If you didn’t yet file a 2019 return, the government will use your 2018 information if it has it. It also may use a 2019 Social Security benefit statement, or Form SSA-1099, or the Social Security Equivalent Benefit Statement, or Form RRB-1099.

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Those payments are expected to be $1,200 for individuals, or $2,400 for those who are married and file income taxes jointly. It also includes $500 per child.

But you have to meet certain qualifications in order to be eligible for the money, based on your adjusted gross income in your latest tax returns. If you earn more than $75,000 as an individual, $112,500 as the head of household or $150,000 if you are married and filing jointly, the amount of those checks starts to get reduced.

Checks will be reduced by $5 for every $100 exceeding those thresholds. It completely phases out at $99,000 in income for individuals, $146,500 for head of household filers with one child and $198,000 for joint filers with no children.

However, you are still eligible for a check if you have no income or if you rely solely on non-taxable government benefit programs like Supplemental Security Income benefits, or SSI, from Social Security.

“That group of people who are getting Social Security, whether it’s for retirement or for disability, and don’t need to file, will still be able to get a stimulus check,” said Jack Smalligan, senior policy fellow at the Urban Institute, a non-partisan think tank.

That’s after new language was added to the bill to allow the Treasury Department to communicate with other agencies that provide federal benefits. So the government would not necessarily need those individuals to file tax returns in order to get the stimulus checks, Smalligan said.

Americans who live in other countries may also be eligible.

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More important, the money will not be counted as taxable income. It will be considered a credit, so you can deduct the sum against your future taxes.

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Originally posted by piqué:
Where's the bill that's going to save people's lives? You know, that allows hospitals and clinics and health departments to test entire communities? The one that quintuples the number of ventilators and ICU beds? The one that builds triage hospitals? The one that dispenses free masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer to every American?

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What the fvck makes anyone think that $80k is a lot of money in today's world?

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Originally posted by Axtremus:
https://www.politico.com/news/...o-dead-people-219063

Treasury now wants the stimulus money sent to dead people repaid.