Sales tax deduction survives

It took until the last minute, but Congress saved the sales tax deduction.

The House acted first, approving the bill by a lopsided 367-45 vote. All nine House members from Washington voted for the bill. The Senate passed it 79-9 and sent it to President Bush for his signature. There was widespread bipartisan support for extending expired tax breaks, including the research-and-development tax credit for businesses; sales tax deductions for people in states without income taxes; the tax deduction on college tuition; a tax credit for hiring welfare recipients and others facing difficulties finding jobs; and tax credits for alternative energy producers and purchases of solar energy equipment by homeowners and businesses.

While it's good that we aren't going to get hosed when we do our taxes, keep in mind this extension is only for two years.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., was a prime backer of the measure. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., was disappointed the extension was for only two years.

"We should not have to face this battle every two years," Murray said in an interview. "Our constituents deserve to have the ability to know when they save all those receipts every year in their shoeboxes they don't wait for us around Christmastime to decide whether it's real or not. This should be permanent."

Hopefully the Democratic Congress will, at some point, be able to make the sales tax deduction permanent.