Tax Credits

Senate Democrats are working to include $49 billion on a two-year boost for the child tax credit expansion that could also be paired with business tax breaks renewed for a similar duration. The proposal is a sign that negotiations between Senate Finance Chair Wyden and House Ways and Means Chair Smith are getting serious, with weeks left in the latest window to agree on a bipartisan package of tax provisions.  Included in that agreement would be businesses' ability to deduct all research and development expenses up front, immediately write off the full cost of certain purchases like equipment and machinery, and take bigger tax breaks for interest expenses. Those changes would be retroactive and extend through 2025, to align with a large swath of tax cuts from the 2017 Republican overhaul.  The total package would then be in the range of $90 billion to $100 billion, with about the same amount of dollars devoted to a child credit boost. The money for the child credit would largely be spent to make it more available to lower-income families, who are not currently able to claim the maximum $2,000 benefit because their income and tax liability are too low.