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Movers Applaud
President's Economy Stimulus Proposal
ALEXANDRIA , Va.
-The American Moving and Storage Association announced
its support of President Bush's plan to stimulate the
economy with a series of targeted tax cuts.
"The President has shown tremendous leadership and courage
in attempting to tackle the growth challenges of our
economy right now," said AMSA President Joe Harrison.
"When the economy isn't moving, people aren't moving
either," added Harrison, citing a down moving season
this past summer.
"By providing businesses greater incentives to invest,
re-invest, and create new jobs, we believe this proposal
is a step in the right direction and will help restore
the public's confidence in mobility as much as stability,"
said Harrison. AMSA is a member of the Tax Relief Coalition.
Headquartered in Alexandria, Va., AMSA is the national
trade association representing the nation's moving and
storage companies, which provide household goods moving
services, specialized transportation for sensitive freight
such as computers and trade show exhibits, and warehouse
storage services.
With 3,600 members, including 500 international members,
AMSA programs and activities promote consumer protection,
professional development, safety and operational efficiency.
OSHA Unveils Ergonomics
Plan
The U.S. Department
of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) unveiled a comprehensive plan designed to dramatically
reduce ergonomic injuries through a combination of industry-targeted
guidelines, tough enforcement measures, workplace outreach,
advanced research, and dedicated efforts to protect
Hispanic and other immigrant workers.
The Department's ergonomics enforcement plan will crack
down on bad actors by coordinating inspections with
a legal strategy designed for successful prosecution.
The Department will place special emphasis on industries
with the sorts of serious ergonomics problems that OSHA
and DOL attorneys have successfully addressed in prior
5(a)(1) or General Duty clause cases.
For the first time, OSHA will have an enforcement plan
designed from the start to target prosecutable ergonomic
violations. Also for the first time, inspections will
be coordinated with a legal strategy developed by DOL
attorneys that is based on prior successful ergonomics
cases and is designed to maximize successful prosecutions.
And, OSHA will have special ergonomics inspection teams
that will, from the earliest stages, work closely with
DOL attorneys and experts to successfully bring prosecutions
under the General Duty clause.
The new ergonomics plan also calls for compliance assistance
tools to help workplaces reduce and prevent ergonomic
injuries. OSHA will provide specialized training and
information on guidelines and the implementation of
successful ergonomics programs. It will also administer
targeted training grants, develop compliance assistance
tools, forge partnerships and create a recognition program
to highlight successful ergonomics injury reduction
efforts.
As part of DOL's cross-agency commitment to protecting
immigrant workers, especially those with limited English
proficiency, the new ergonomics plan includes a specialized
focus to help Hispanic and other immigrant workers,
many of whom work in industries with high ergonomic
hazard rates.
The plan also includes the announcement of a national
advisory committee, whose task will be to advise OSHA
on research gaps. In concert with the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health, OSHA will stimulate
and encourage needed research in this area.
IRS Tax Treatment
for Truck Tires
The IRS has published
a new method for accounting the cost of original and
replacement tires for trucks and trailers. AMSA and
the American Trucking Association worked with IRS in
negotiating this new method, known as Rev. Proc. 2002-27,
which will minimize or eliminate disputes with IRS over
the deductibility of tire costs.
In the Rev. Proc. 2002-27, with the "original tire capitalization
method," a taxpayer accounts for original and replacement
tires on each of its vehicles by capitalizing the cost
of original tires, either purchased with the vehicle
or separately, and depreciating them over the same life
as the vehicle itself. The cost of replacement tires
is fully deductible in the year they are installed on
the vehicle.
This method will be very favorable for taxpayers because
it preserves full deductibility for replacement tires
at the cost of capitalizing original tires. For more
information, contact Pete Scott (703) 893-8566.
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