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                 Critics Complain About Fiscal Cliff Compromise

   by VOA News

   The U.S. Senate compromise intended to avert the most immediate
   consequences of the fiscal cliff is drawing criticism from many parts
   of the political spectrum.
   A public interest group that has been urging Washington to do more to
   balance its spending and revenue, The Concord Coalition, said the
   Senate made "no hard choices" and solved "no difficult problems." The
   group's leader, Robert Bixby, said the deal did not solve the problem
   of rising costs for pension and medical care programs for the elderly,
   did not reform the tax system, delayed efforts to cope with scheduled
   drastic spending cuts, and did not address the need to raise
   Washington's legal limit on borrowing.
   The Campaign for America's Future, called the deal "ugly," and echoed
   many of Concord's criticisms. The liberal group also said the Senate
   action would allow a temporary 2 percent cut in payroll taxes to
   expire. This could add $1,000 to the tax burden paid by someone making
   $50,000 a year. Some economists say the expiring tax cuts will slow the
   consumer spending that drives most U.S. economic activity.
   ''Opinion articles in The New York Times called the measure "tepid" and
   a "fiscal flop" and said the compromise is a missed opportunity to make
   needed political and economic reforms.
   A story in The Wall Street Journal called the deal a "classic
   compromise" with something for "everyone to love - and hate."
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/critics_complain_about_fiscal_cliff_c
   ompromise/1576042.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/critics_complain_about_fiscal_cliff_compromise/1576042.html