Tax file

Congress has adopted a budget resolution that allows for a substantial tax cut this year. But there appears to be little in the offing for carriers. The Senate rebuffed attempts to suspend part or all of the federal fuel tax. The acceleration of the meal deduction for drivers that the House passed in late '99 is mired in a web of unrelated provisions that the President seems likely to veto.

At this point, the bill with the best chance of helping carriers is a possible repeal of the century-old 3% telephone excise tax. While that bill has bipartisan support, it may not be politically sexy enough for the leadership to push it through to the President's desk