Last month, President Obama signed the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" -- otherwise known as the economic stimulus act. We're like most tax professionals in that we're still sorting through the Act's nearly $300 billion in tax cuts to see which will be most valuable for you. But we can tell you that it will take careful planning to make the most of the new rules. For better or for worse, the new administration doesn't seem to be making "tax simplification" much of a priority.

Take the new deduction for sales tax on new cars. The concept is simple enough. The auto industry is a huge part of our economy. Car sales have slowed to the point where General Motors stock costs less than a gallon of gas and carmakers are flirting with bankruptcy. Why not give car buyers a tax incentive to stimulate manufacturers?