WASHINGTON, Oct 2 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush said Saturday he would renew some of the huge tax cuts that form a cornerstone of his economic rejuvenation policy and chided Democratic challenger John Kerry for opposing the cuts.
With the economy expected to play a bigger role in the second Bush-Kerry debate on Friday, Bush said in his weekly radio address that he would "proudly" sign the Working Families Tax Relief Act while on a visit to Iowa.
The law will extend tax relief for married couples, a tax credit for children and an expanded 10 percent tax rate for the lower-paid.
Kerry and other leading Democrats have condemned the multibillion-dollar tax cuts, saying they help only the wealthiest Americans and major US corporations.
The president said about seven million low-income families will get higher refunds next year and that "94 million Americans will have a lower tax bill again next year" because of his measures.
Bush hit out at his Democratic rival for the November 2 presidential election for opposing his proposed tax relief plans in 2001 and 2003.
"Senator Kerry and other Democratic leaders voted against it. In fact, Senator Kerry has voted consistently against marriage penalty relief, against increasing the child tax credit and against expanding the 10 percent bracket.
"Now Senator Kerry and the Democrat leaders are proposing a lot of new federal spending, and the only way to pay for all their promises is to raise taxes on working families."
The US economy has made only a slow recovery from a downturn in 2001, and job creation remains a problem for the administration.
While acknowledging that more action is needed, Bush highlighted new figures which showed that the economy grew at an annual rate of 3.3 percent in the second quarter and that 1.7 million jobs have been added since August 2003.
He said "higher taxes are the wrong policy for this growing economy.
"Our families and our country are better off when government lets people keep more of what they earn. And that is why I'll work with Congress to keep taxes low, and that is why I will proudly sign the Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004 into law."