Seven New Tax Breaks

By Andrea Coombes MarketWatch - Wall Street Journal

In all the hoopla surrounding the current stimulus package, it's easy to forget that other stimulus bill -- the one in 2008 that resulted in a good-sized check for many U.S. taxpayers. Forgetting about that earlier stimulus, and any of the other major tax changes in 2008, could mean missing out on some much-needed cash when you file your tax return this year.

There were six "pretty significant pieces of tax legislation" in 2008, said Mark Luscombe, a principal analyst with CCH Inc., a Riverwoods, Ill., tax publisher, including bills related to housing, farming, the military, pensions, and two on the economy.

Still, while all that tax tinkering affects most of us eventually, many of the changes last year were related to arcane rules -- and won't show up on our Form 1040s.....

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