From Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As Americans face a deadline for filing taxes, President George W. Bush on Saturday pressed Congress to extend tax cuts, saying they create jobs and economic growth.

A push by House and Senate Republicans for $70 billion in tax cuts was derailed earlier this month before lawmakers went on a two-week spring recess.

The tax cuts would have extended the maximum 15 percent tax rate on capital gains and dividends beyond 2008. Without congressional action, capital gains taxes would jump to 20 percent and dividends would be taxed as regular income.

“Tax relief has done exactly what it was designed to do: It has created jobs and growth for the American people,” Bush said in his weekly radio address.

“Yet some here in Washington are now proposing that we raise taxes, either by repealing the tax cuts or letting them expire,” he said. “To keep our economy creating jobs and opportunity, Congress needs to make the tax relief permanent.”

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To help allow the United States to have economic prosperity into the end of the decade, it would be wise for Congress to extend and/or make permanent the Bush tax cuts of 2003. By extending the tax cuts, Congress allows the potential for millions of citizens and businesses to have more money in their own pockets, allowing them additional capital to invest and plenty more to spend.

While tax cuts are wholly beneficial for the economy, we must work to do more. Congress must become fiscally conservative, cutting spending and programs which are no longer needed. Congress must also work to eliminate overlapping programs that have the same job or programs that are not needed anymore. Not only will cutting spending help the Congress move toward balancing the federal budget, it will also help to offset federal budget deficits and long term debt.