s industrialaverage. .DJI
Among the corporate beneficiaries: AT&T (T.N), CaterpillarInc (CAT.N) and Deere & Co (DE.N) -- three companies that werepart of the very public writedown wave that followed Obama'ssigning of the law last year and the elimination of the doublesubsidy regarding retiree drug benefits.
That loophole, created in 2003 with the MedicareModernization Act
wholesale jerseys , allowed companies to receive a 28 percentsubsidy from taxpayers to help cover the cost of prescriptiondrugs for retirees -- without counting the money as income.
And when they spent the money, the companies were allowedto turn around and get a deduction for it on their taxes --even though the money was a gift from taxpayers.
The Obama administration saw that as a double subsidy andeliminated it. So starting in 2013, U.S. companies will only beable to enjoy the subsidy once
wholesale jerseys , by not having it count asincome.
Reuters contacted AT&T, Caterpillar and Deere this week andasked them what they had told their shareholders about theboost their finances are getting from ERRP.
Ken Golden, a spokesman for Deere & Co, did not acknowledgethe request. McCall Butler, a spokeswoman for AT&T
Don't be afraid to sustain out with textures, said thetelecommunications giant had "no comment on this."
Bridget Young
wholesale jerseys , a spokeswoman for Caterpillar, said hercompany was "still in the process of analyzing our claim######perience to better understand to what degree thereimbursement will affect Caterpillar. As such, it is too earlyfor us to comment on how the reimbursement will be allocated." (Reporting by James Kelleher; Editing by Michele Gershberg andMatthew Lewis)
* Florida lawmakers trying to stop Cuba drilling
* Obama facing prickly political situation
* Experts say U.S. must coordinate with Cuba
By Jeff Franks
HAVANA, July 1 - With Cuba preparing to explorefor oil 60 miles (96 km) from Florida
wholesale jerseys , the complicated politicsof U.S.-Cuba relations are impeding U.S. efforts to get readyin case of a BP-style accident, analysts and oil experts said.
The Obama administration must do more to ensure that U.S.companies can quickly mobilize safety and containment equipmentshould a well blow out, which could do