Taxes
* Cut the lowest tax rate from 15 percent to 10 percent. The new rate would apply to the first $6,000 of taxable income for single adults, the first $10,000 for single parents and the first $12,000 for married couples.
* Create a more progressive tax code that gives the biggest percentage cuts to the lowest income earners. This would reduce the share of the total tax burden shouldered by low- and moderate-income earners.
* Double the existing $500 per-child tax credit to $1,000.
Health Care
* Provide families that do not receive employer-sponsored coverage and are not eligible for public programs with a refundable health credit of up to $2,000 to cover 90 percent of health insurance. Individuals would receive a credit of up to $1,000.
* Strengthen the State Children’s Health Insurance Program so that more people can have coverage.
* Support personal choice through Flexible Savings Accounts and Medical Savings Accounts.
* Allow small businesses to create Association Health Plans with similar businesses in other states. By joining together, small businesses can reduce the cost of health insurance and reduce the costs passed along to their employees.
Home Ownership
* Extend the “Section 8” rent-voucher program so that the poor could use up to a year of rent subsidies to make a house down payment.
* “American Dream Down Payment Fund” would match (on a 3:1 basis) a bank’s contribution to a poor family’s down payment, closing costs or a second mortgage up to $1,500.
Personal Wealth
* “Individual Development Accounts” would give tax credits to banks that match the savings of low-income earners up to $300. The funds saved in these accounts could be withdrawn tax-free to cover education, business start-ups or home purchase.