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Friday November 6, 01:50 AM
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FACTBOX - Jobless, homebuyer aid clears Congress
REUTERS - Unemployed workers would get more jobless benefits and homebuyers and businesses would get additional tax breaks under a measure that cleared Congress on Thursday.
The bill now heads to President Barack Obama to sign into law. Here is a description of each of the bill's provisions:
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
* Jobless workers who have exhausted their unemployment benefits would get an additional 14 weeks of aid.
* Workers living in states where the unemployment rate is above 8.5 percent would get an additional six weeks of benefits, for a total of 20 extra weeks of benefits.
As of September, 27 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico had unemployment rates above 8.5 percent. Nationwide, the jobless rate stood at 9.8 percent in September, the highest since 1983, and analysts expect a report on Friday to show it climbed 9.9 percent last month.
About 3.4 million people now are receiving unemployment aid, according to the Labor Department.
* Roughly 600,000 workers may have already exhausted their benefits, according to the National Employment Law Project, and 1.3 million could do so by the end of the year.
* Some workers would now be eligible for up to 79 weeks of unemployment insurance, three times the 26-week limit that was in place before the recession that began in December 2007.
* The additional benefits would be paid for by extending a tax on employers through June 30, 2011.
HOMEBUYER CREDIT
* Extends an existing $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers until April 30, 2010.
* That credit, which was due to expire on Nov. 30, has helped the housing industry recover from its worst downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
* Homebuyers who already own a home and have lived there for at least five years would be eligible for a new $6,500 tax credit.
* More affluent buyers would be eligible for the credit, as it would be phased out for individuals who earn more than $125,000 or families that earn more than $225,000. The current credit is phased out for individuals who earn more than $75,000 and families that earn more than $150,000.
* Home purchases under contract as of April 30, 2010, would have to close within 60 days to be eligible for the credit.
* The credit only applies to the purchase of principal residences that cost $800,000 or less.
* Would cost $10.8 billion over 10 years.
BUSINESS TAX CREDIT
* Would allow all businesses to apply losses sustained in 2008 or 2009 to the five prior years, enabling them to recover taxes paid at a time when the economy was expanding.
* Businesses would be able to apply losses from either 2008 or 2009 but not both years.
* The losses would apply to full-year taxable income for the prior four years and 50 percent of income in the fifth year.
* A similar tax credit already on the books only applies to small businesses that earn less than $15 million per year.
* Would cost $10.4 billion over 10 years.
OTHER PROVISIONS
* Would delay implementation of another tax rule that governs how companies can allocate interest expenses between the United States and foreign sources.
* That rule had been scheduled to take effect in 2011 but now would be pushed back until 2018, which would save the government $20.1 billion over 10 years -- covering the cost of the homebuyer and business tax credits.
* Would also boost penalties for certain types of companies that do not file tax returns, which would raise $1.2 billion over 10 years.
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan in Washington; Editing by Vicki Allen)
