Bechtel (and Halliburton) Gets G.O.P. Support for a Potential Tax Break

[UpInArms]

(NYT) http://makeashorterlink.com/?T27D62B56

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 - The Bechtel Corporation, which hired a former commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service to lobby on its behalf, has won support from House Republicans for what could be a generous new tax break.

The tax break, which will be taken up on Tuesday by the House Ways and Means Committee, was originally intended to help shore up factory jobs in the United States by reducing the corporate tax rate for domestic manufacturers to 32 percent from 35 percent.

But the bill now includes a provision sought by Bechtel, an engineering conglomerate that is also one of the biggest recipients of government contracts for Iraqi reconstruction, that would reduce taxes on "architectural and engineering services."

The new provision would also benefit the Halliburton Company, whose previous chief executive was Vice President Dick Cheney and which now has a Pentagon contract to repair the Iraqi oil infrastructure. The Fluor Corporation, which recently won a $102 million contract to work on Iraq's electrical system, would receive a tax reduction as well.

...more...

[7th_Sephiroth]

1. sickening

just sickening

[mbperrin]

2. Why in the F**K

don't they just save time and ask for the goddamn title to this country be made over to them, and then the slaves (that's us!) will finally know where we stand?

I mean, even a dog will eventually puke when it's scarfed down all it can hold + 50%!!!

(No offense to dogs!)

[salin]

3. Wait - they get no-bid contracts - HUGE amounts of tax payers dollars

AND they get more tax breaks? Feeding at the trough. War profiteering. Then crying for the need for a tax break? They think we taxpayers are suckers.

[Benhurst]

4. "They think we taxpayers are suckers"?

They KNOW we taxpayers are suckers.

[TankLV]

5. And they would be right. About we being suckers.

Where is our Harry Truman this time around? (Hint Hint to any prospective senator/congressperson who wants to go places)

I thought Haliburton/Bechtel were the ONLY companies getting the bids. Has anyone heard of any others?

When will someone demand answers to know why ONLY ONE CORPORATION IS GETTING ALL THE WORK, AND THAT CORPORATION IS DIRECTLY TIED TO BUSHCO/CHENEY?! Seem more than a tad sleezy.

[underpants]

6. I can't figure out who DOESN'T get a tax break under this

Logging
Agriculture
SOME restaurants
Liquor distributors
Software
Oil and gas
All lumped onto a bill to save manufacturing jobs. Now they can run out and STILL act like they are in it for the "wroking family" . :grr:

[MGKrebs]

7. They could save themselves a lot of

administration costs if they just start a "Halliburton witholding" from our paychecks. Just send the money right to them.

:crazy: