Who says the government never helps anyone?

When you look around right now, it's easy to get depressed. You know people who have picked up pink slips. There are houses in your area that have been foreclosed and they are just sitting there like rotting teeth in your neighborhood because no-one's buying. And what are those guys doing up there in Washington? Well they seem to be doing nothing that's really going to help the ordinary people of America. They are carrying on with the same old, same old arguments. Tax cuts solve all our problems. We've got to spend billions to rebuild America. Like tax cuts are going to help you when you're unemployed, and planning something to build is going to make for new work opportunities tomorrow. Well, for once, there is some good news. The Stimulus Package has hundreds of pages and thousands of plans but there's one that might turn out to be a "good thing". Now don't you go holding your breath because what it says in something produced by Washington may not work out on Main Street. But let's look on the bright side for once. This one may just pay off.

If you have the cash or access to credit or you totaled your last vehicle and the insurers paid out a fair value, you're looking for a new car or truck. Well, hold off for a few days to see how this pans out. The Stimulus Package potentially allows you to deduct sales or excise taxes if the car you buy costs less than $49,500. If confirmed, you can take advantage of this as an above-the-line deduction so long as your personal income as a single person is less than $125,000, married couples qualify when their aggregate income is less than $250,000 - that's most of us, right? There will be no need for you to itemize to make the claim. So exactly how much will you save? Well, those eager beaver tax experts have been burning the midnight oil so here goes with an example.

Suppose your state has a sales tax of 5% and you spend $40,000 to buy a vehicle, you can deduct $2,000 from your gross income. This offer is limited in time. You have to buy between the date the bill is signed into law and December 31. The hope is this will encourage you to go buy a new car sooner rather than later. Not only will you save money but it will help Detroit as well. So, if you do take advantage of this deal, the terms of your financing package will require a new auto insurance policy, probably with comprehensive and collision included. To get the best deal, you need to hit the online sites to get the maximum number of quotes. Remember, you're not looking for the cheapest car insurance policy on the planet, you're looking for the best value-for-money policy on the planet that will give you the best protection for the lowest possible premium.