toledoblade.com --

Forget about Joe the Plumber, how about Debbie the Embroiderer?

Debbie Miller, 43, of Holland, who hopes to build an embroidery business, yesterday entered her income and other information into the "Obama-Biden Tax Calculator" and was told she'd have the $500 tax credit coming to her courtesy of a President Barack Obama.

Ms. Miller happened to be present at Downtown Latte coffee shop yesterday in Toledo's Warehouse District when Democratic Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher made a campaign stop to show off the Obama campaign's tax cut calculator.

Given her less-than-$20,000 income from a part-time job cutting hair in nursing homes, Ms. Miller found out she'd qualify for a $500 "tax savings" from the government, according to the online campaign tool.

"It would be fine with me," Ms. Miller said.

"Something's better than nothing."

Mr. Obama has promised to provide tax breaks for 95 percent of Americans, which he would pay for in part by raising income taxes on those earning more than $250,000.

The Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, claims that 40 percent of Americans pay no taxes, and they would get tax credit checks, which he claimed would be paid for by tax increases on the remaining 60 percent of taxpayers.

The Web site - taxcut.barackobama.com - allows you to input your real income or a hypothetical income, along with some other factors, and get an estimate of tax relief to be expected from an Obama administration.

Ms. Miller, who is unmarried and has no children or a home mortgage, typed in "less than $20,000" for her income.

The calculator estimated her "Obama tax savings" at $500, and "McCain tax savings" as zero.

Different incomes and family situations obviously would yield a different result.

Someone claiming a $250,000 income gets this response: "You will probably not get a tax cut under the Obama-Biden plan."

The McCain campaign responded by pointing out its Obama Spendometer, at gop.com/obamaspendometer.htm, although it appears to be a simple online listing of Mr. Obama's spending proposals rather than an interactive site.

"No matter who's calculating it, the fact is that Barack Obama's tax increases on small business jobs would devastate our economy at the worst possible time," said Paul Lindsay, McCain-Palin spokesman, in response to the tax calculator.

"Obama calls this 'spreading the wealth;' hard-working Americans like Joe the Plumber call it socialism."

Tax cuts and increases have dominated the McCain campaign message since Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher of Springfield Township raised the issue last week in a chance encounter with Mr. Obama on his street.

Mr. Wurzelbacher, 34, told Mr. Obama he hoped to buy his boss's plumbing business, but feared Mr. Obama's plans for raising taxes would punish him for his success.

As part of his response, Mr. Obama said he "when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."

Mr. Fisher said he believes Mr. Obama when he promises not to raise taxes on people making less than $250,000 a year, and he said that includes the "vast majority" of small-business owners.

Ms. Miller, who lives in the Holland area of Springfield Township, just like Mr. Wurzelbacher, said she is trying to get a commercial embroidery business going, but is getting very few clients. She said she has a contract right now, and her last paying contract was last year.

Ms. Miller said she went to Downtown Latte yesterday because she received an e-mail inviting her to a small-business meeting.

"My dream is to have my business really big," Ms. Miller said, but she said she'll never earn $250,000 in taxable income, "unless I have a major miracle happening in my life."

Mr. Fisher visited Toledo and Cleveland to promote the tax calculator and to tout Mr. Obama's plans for helping small-business owners.

Contact Tom Troy at:
tomtroy@theblade.com
or 419-724-6058.

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