U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has proposed a tax
credit for small business owners who offer health insurance to their
employees.
The Senator from Illinois unveiled the proposal
Sunday in San Diego, California, in a speech to the National Council of
La Raza, a leading Hispanic civil rights group.
Documents
detailing the tax credit note that while small businesses create most
of the new jobs in the U.S. each year, they have been hard hit by the
recent economic downturn, particularly in Latino communities.
Obama's
presumed Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, is to address the
same Hispanic group Monday, at 1945 UTC. A top McCain advisor
described Obama's healthcare tax-credit proposal as short on details.
This
is the third time in three weeks both men addressed major Hispanic
organizations. Hispanic voters are expected to play a pivotal role in
this year's presidential election.
Several battleground states have significant Latino populations, including Florida, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico.
In his speech, Obama said the Latino community "holds this election in your hands."
Both
candidates also spoke out Sunday about the federal government's support
for mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Obama said the
government should give top priority to the interests of homeowners and
taxpayers not just shareholders or investors. McCain said he believes
that problems at the government-sponsored housing lenders cannot be
permitted to spill over into the financial markets.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.