Congress Wants To Reward The Culprit: Big Tax Break For Banks And Homebuilders

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FakeBen says: "Big homebuilders get tax help from the government! Is rewarding the culprits really the right way out of this mess?"

The bill contains a $6 billion emergency tax break that would let companies use losses from 2008 and 2009 to offset profits earned over the previous four years, instead of the usual two-year timeframe.

Jerry Howard, chief executive of the National Association of Home Builders, said in an interview that the tax break is "very important to the building community." It will keep many small homebuilders out of bankruptcy, he said, and will prevent large builders from having to liquidate assets.

Other big beneficiaries would be Wall Street banks such as Citigroup Inc., Merrill Lynch & Co. and Morgan Stanley. In fact, any company now struggling after years of healthy profits that pumped up their tax bills could benefit.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-homebuilders-congress,0,19...