Senate votes to expand tax credit to all homebuyers

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday voted to extend and expand a tax credit for homebuyers as an added boost for the recovering real-estate market and approved a provision to continue giving aid to the long-term unemployed.

The measure, adopted on a 98-0 vote, also would extend and expand a tax benefit for businesses with losses. The House is expected to follow suit within days, and President Obama is expected to sign it into law.

To keep fueling the real-estate rebound, the legislation would extend the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers to April 30. It now is set to expire at the end of the month. It also would provide a new $6,500 tax break for existing homeowners who want to move up to a new home, as long as they have lived in their current residence for five consecutive years of the past eight.

The bill also would increase the level of qualifying incomes to $125,000 for individual tax filers and $225,000 for joint filers. Those earning up to $145,000 individually or up to $245,000 jointly would receive a smaller credit that decreases as income rises.

The tax credits apply to home purchases of $800,000 or less.

"Every economist will tell you we have to steady the housing market before the economy will turn around," said Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn. With the national unemployment rate at 9.8 percent and expected to go higher, senators voted to extend jobless benefits by 14 weeks in all states and 20 weeks in the hardest-hit states, including Washington.

The $2.4 billion extension of unemployment benefits gained bipartisan support after it was written to cover all states, making it more appealing to senators.

In addition, the measure would allow any company to use any losses this year or last year to offset taxes paid in the previous five years. A similar measure was in the economic-stimulus legislation approved earlier this year but was limited to small businesses.