Tax breaks

The U.S. government’s $2.2 trillion stimulus package comes with a perk for high fliers: Flights are getting cheaper for some private-jet customers.

This is normally the time of year when the federal government is collecting taxes due, but the devastating coronavirus now has the U.S. trying to rapidly dole out hundreds of billions of dollars in aid and tax breaks to businesses large and small.

The measure contains tax relief for both businesses and individuals, and other stimulus measures.

Republican staff on the Senate Finance Committee have released a set of answers to frequently asked questions about the stimulus payments.

The Senate voted 96-0 late Wednesday to approve a sweeping $2.2 trillion stimulus package to help the nation emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

Large retailers like Walmart Inc. and Target Corp., as well as student loan borrowers, are on a long list of potential winners from tax breaks included in a $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill approved by the Senate.

Days of negotiations between the Trump administration and Congress — and fierce lobbying by industries eager for assistance dealing with the coronavirus outbreak — has yielded a rescue package worth more than $2 trillion in spending and tax breaks.

A centerpiece of the package is tax rebates to individuals of $1,200 and $2,400 for married couples. Rebates are completely phased-out for taxpayers with incomes exceeding $99,000 for individuals or $198,000 for a couple.

A package of coronavirus relief legislation that was signed into law Wednesday includes provisions for paid sick leave, family leave and medical leave, along with tax credits to help employers and the self-employed pay for them.

The U.S. Treasury will be able to support smaller businesses impacted by the coronavirus through an economic relief plan that the House passed late Friday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.