华 盛顿17日电／面对经济衰退的担心日增，美国总统布殊与联储局(Fed)主席长伯南克17日纷纷表态，指出国会应尽快制定刺激经济的方案。政府官员透露， 布殊私下告诉国会领导人，他支持用给个人退税和给公司减税的做法，避免经济陷入衰退。与此同时，伯南克也呼吁国会迅速制定一个刺激经济的一揽子方案。据 悉，布殊、国会领导人和伯南克挽救经济的一个主要做法将是退税。现在民主、共和两党领导人考虑的退税数额是：个人退税300美元至800美元；夫妇退税最 多可得1600美元。布殊计划18日公开这个刺激经济方案，但白宫新闻秘书佩里诺表示，布殊不打算谈论方案的细节，但会指出任何刺激经济方案都应是有效、简单和暂时的。

佩里诺还说，布殊17日与国会两党领导人举行电话会议约30分钟，讨论他们的方案及如何一起致力挽救频临衰退的经济。而众议院议长普洛西先前已在国会公布民主党人总数达至少1000亿美元的一揽子方案。

佩 里诺说，电话会议显示，两党领导人基本上一致认为，他们有必要采取一些行动。他们还表示，两党有必要携手合作，迅速制定刺激经济方案。白宫较早时曾表示， 布殊认为，「有必要采取一些刺激经济措施」。据说，布殊先前只考虑短期刺激经济的做法。而佩里诺现在表示，布殊在访问中东期间获得的每日经济简报令他认 为，他不必等到本月底发表国情咨文时才宣布刺激经济方案的具体做法。令情况更乐观的是，白宫副新闻秘书弗拉托表示，他认为在快速与国会达成协议这一问题上 不存在障碍。白宫上述言论标志着，这是白宫首次证实布殊支持政府介入挽救经济。

振兴方案30天内出炉

据报道，众议院的民主党及共和党人正在考虑的方案包括，给个人退税，给公司减税，增加粮食券及失业金资助，此外，增加给州政府的拨款，帮助完成基建工程的做法也在考虑之中。

虽然民主党和共和党在经济刺激方案的具体做法上存在分歧，但他们在如2001年经济衰退时提供个人退税做法却有着广泛共识。国会两党也正罕见地共同努力，争取在30天内通过经济振兴法案。

众议院共和党领袖博纳及众院多数党领袖霍耶尔均对两党愿意携手合作救市表示鼓舞。议长普洛西也表示，希望刺激经济方案可以在一个月内出炉。但参议院多数党领袖里德却指责布殊在方案未敲定就匆忙公开评论。

伯南克：方案需既快又短

伯南克17日出席众议院预算委员会会议时也表示，他支持制定一个刺激经济方案，也认为可能通过财政手段刺激经济，但他指出，而这个方案应迅速制定，而且应是临时性质。

伯南克指出，当务之急是「将钱交到家庭和公司的手上，并在短期内花掉」以刺激经济。他特别指出，将退税迅速交到中、低收入的纳税人手上尤其重要。但他拒绝就具体方案表态。

伯南克还表示，今年的经济状况和2007年下半年相比有恶化的现象。「其中有几个因素，包括能源价格不断攀升、股价下滑、房价下跌，这都有可能对消费者支出造成影响。」他又说，金融市场状况对美国经济仍然是个风险。

Bush Calls for Up to $150 Billion
In Stimulus to Boost Economy

By HENRY J. PULIZZI
January 18, 2008 12:18 p.m.

WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush called for tax incentives for businesses and “direct and rapid” tax relief for individuals, saying a stimulus package should be passed as soon as possible to shield the U.S. economy from a steep downturn.

“This growth package must be built on broad based tax relief that will directly affect economic growth and not the kind of spending projects that will have little impact on our economy,” Mr. Bush said in brief remarks from the White House.

To be effective, Mr. Bush said the stimulus must be temporary and take affect right away. He said the size of the package should be around 1% of U.S. gross domestic product, which would be around $130 billion to $150 billion.

“By passing an effective growth package swiftly we can provide a shot in the arm to keep a fundamentally strong economy healthy,” Mr. Bush said.

As expected, Mr. Bush didn’t detail specific components of his preferred stimulus plan, but laid out the principles he would like to guide the package. He called for tax measures to give businesses an incentive to make major investments this year and direct tax relief for individuals.

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“Americans could use this money as they see fit: to help meet their monthly bills, cover higher costs at the gas pump or pay for other basic necessities,” Mr. Bush said. “Letting Americans keep more of their own money should increase consumer spending and lift our economy at a time when people otherwise might spend less.”

A congressional aide familiar with Thursday’s conference call between Mr. Bush and lawmakers said the White House is mulling giving individuals and households tax rebates of $800 and $1,600, respectively, and letting businesses deduct half of their new equipment purchases.

Mr. Bush’s last stimulus plan in 2001 included rebate checks of either $300 or $600. It took around 10 weeks to issue those checks, and the Congressional Budget Office said a similar delivery time can be expected if rebates are included this time around.

If Washington approves a $100 billion dollar “stimulus plan” it could put rebates in the hands of taxpayers. Stacey Delo interviews people in New York, San Francisco and Chicago to see how they’d spend their rebate.

With the housing crisis, soaring energy prices, and turbulent financial markets darkening the economic outlook, the White House and Congress are racing to put together a package to goose the economy. Mr. Bush’s comments Friday were his first public acknowledgment that stimulus is needed.

He said economic growth is likely to slow this year, with “a risk of a downturn.” Continued weakness housing and financial markets, he warned, could cause further damage to the economy, threatening growth and job creation.

“I’ve concluded that additional action is needed,” Mr. Bush said. “To keep our economy growing and creating jobs, Congress and the administration need to work to enact an economic growth package as soon as possible.”

Making the rounds of the morning television programs, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, the White House’s point man on the stimulus effort, sounded optimistic that the White House and Democrats would be able to find common ground on “something that’s going to be temporary, something that will be robust and simple and get money into the economy this year.”

In a concession that could help speed the process of implementing a stimulus plans, the White House said it would separate its campaign to make Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent from the stimulus negotiations.

Those talks still face some obstacles with Democrats pushing for increased spending on food stamps and unemployment insurance benefits.

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said the administration and lawmakers aren’t far apart on the stimulus. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) told CNBC Thursday that a deal could be done in around 30 days.

“That would be my outside limit, because, again, every day around the kitchen table people are feeling this hardship,” Ms. Pelosi said.

Write to Henry J. Pulizzi at henry.pulizzi@dowjones.com

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