Tax plan gets mixed reviews

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT-MESA -- It could buy them anything from a dress they have

wanted for a long time to a surfboard.

But local residents said they would extend an eager yet skeptical

welcome to tax cuts -- a $1.35 trillion tax bill that received Senate

approval Saturday morning.

The bill, considered a legislative victory for President George W.

Bush, was approved by 58 to 33 votes in the Senate -- a decision

supported by 12 Democrats and 46 Republicans.

Mike Halphide, a Newport Beach resident, likes the sound of the plan

that promises the $1.35 trillion tax relief for Americans over a 10-year

period.

“I’m all for it,” Halphide said. “But just like anything else, I’ll be

skeptical until I get my check in the mail or see the withholdings on my

pay check go down.”

Some said they have mixed feelings about getting money back from the

government.

“I could always use the extra cash,” said Belinda Ocana of Costa Mesa.

“But I’d rather see the money benefit the community.”

The passage of the bill means people could start receiving their

checks as early as this summer. Individuals could get back up to $300 and

married couples up to $600, according to the plan.

The bill gives some relief to the middle class, said Michael Hawk of

Costa Mesa.

“I think it’s great for the working class,” he said. “It freaks me out

sometimes to see how much is taken away from my pay check.”

Some believe a tax relief has been a long time coming.

“Taxes are horrible,” said Costa Mesa resident Chuck Chick. “When I

look at the money made and the taxes being taken away, I don’t see the

point of working so hard.”

Others say they have already started thinking about what to do with

the money. Dave Rogers says he is going to invest it in the stock market.

“All stocks are pretty cheap now,” said the Arizona resident, who was

with his family in Triangle Square on Saturday. “It’s a good time to

buy.”

It’s about time working people got a break, said Rogers.

“This is a good idea,” he said. “I believe we’ve been overtaxed all

these years.”