You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

Senate Offers Its Own Small-Business Tax-Cut Plan A few days after the House introduced its tax-cut proposal for small businesses, the Senate responded with its own plan to reduce the tax burden on the coveted demographic.

By Catherine Clifford

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Congress Spars Over Small-business Tax deduction Plan

It's a case of the dueling small-business tax-cuts. Days after House Republicans announced their plan to cut small-business taxes, Senate Democrats outlined their own proposal. The timing is no surprise: Both parties want to woo the coveted demographic to their side of the field before game day in November.

The Senate bill, which was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., N.V.), includes two main components:

1. A tax credit for small businesses that hire. This would offer a 10 percent tax credit on any new payroll expenses -- either new hires or higher wages -- that businesses give in 2012. The credit maxes out at $5 million of increases, or a $500,000 tax credit.

Related: Time to Hire?... Maybe Not So Fast

2. An increased tax benefit to purchase new equipment and machinery. This measure would extend 100 percent bonus depreciation. This might sound a bit wonky. Sit tight. Business owners are allowed to deduct the cost of business expenses from their taxable income. Usually, business owners have to deduct the cost of large, big-ticket items over several years, spreading out the tax benefit of the purchase over time. The proposal would allow businesses to deduct the entire purchase price in the first year, effectively frontloading the tax benefit and aiming to motivate businesses to make purchases now.

Senate Democrats point out that 100 percent bonus depreciation has received bipartisan support in the past. But, the fate of the Senate bill is still unclear: it has not yet been scheduled for a vote. The House proposal, which would give businesses with fewer than 500 employees a one-year 20 percent tax break, is scheduled for a vote next week.

Feedback: Would you be more apt to hire or invest in new equipment with these incentives? Leave a note in the comment section below and let us know.

Related: On Capitol Hill, Battle Over Small-Business Loans Grows Fierce

Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

This Highly-Debated Piece of Cinematic History Just Sold For Over $700,000 at Auction

The wood panel from "Titanic" is often mistaken as a door. Either way, he couldn't have fit. (Sorry.)

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

From Tom Brady to Kevin O'Leary – See Who Lost Big in the Wake of the FTX Crypto Collapse

The crash exposed an $8 billion hole in FTX's accounts, leaving investors and customers scrambling to recoup their funds.

Side Hustle

I Started a Semi-Passive Side Hustle That Earns $33,000 a Week on Amazon: 'Selling There Is a No-Brainer'

Dr. Jenny Woo wanted to create a product that would help people connect, and it turned out to be a lucrative one.