Rove Meets With Biz Coalition, Vows Fight For Dividend Cut.

The article reports that the U.S. Presidential adviser, Karl Rove, in a meeting with business leaders has said that the President would continue its attempt to eliminate double taxation on dividends and demand a final tax cut package costing between $550 billion and $726 billion, as of April 17, 2003. Participants of the meeting said Rove was adamant that a House-Senate conference can produce a tax cut of $550 billion or more. Other administration officials have told their business community allies that the dividends proposal and the rest of the President's tax plan could fit into a $550 billion package. Meanwhile, the Tax Relief Coalition which had suspended its advertising campaign in support of the president's plan at the start of the war in Iraq has resumed radio ads targeting senators in states such as Nebraska, Maine, Ohio, Louisiana and Indiana. As part of the business community's campaign, the American Forest and Paper Association is running print ads in Maine thanking GOP Senator Susan Collins for supporting the president's tax proposal and pointedly omitting any mention of fellow GOP Senator Olympia Snowe, who helped force the Senate to accept a budget resolution that protects only $350 billion in tax cuts.