Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives learned yesterday just how difficult it is to keep fiscal promises.

More than 100 Republicans drafted a letter to the House leadership Monday objecting to part of a GOP plan that called for $500-a-head tax credit for families earning less than $200,000. The writer of the letter requested that the maximum family income required for the credit be lowered to $95,000.

However, this latest opposition from within the party is not the largest obstacle for Republicans to hurdle. Several legislators, including Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee U.S. Sen. Bob Packwood, have said tax cuts will inhibit Congress' goal of shrinking the federal deficit.

In addition to the tax credits for children, the current proposal in the House calls for cuts in capital gains taxes and expansion of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs).

John Riew, professor of economics, said although he thinks the maximum income for child credits should be lowered, he agrees with cutting capital gains taxes and expanding IRAs.

Cutting capital gains taxes would be especially beneficial for the American economy because they would compensate for the current system that levies double taxation on business interests, Riew said.

"Capital gains tax cuts can be regarded as desirable from the standpoint of promoting savings and investment," Riew said. By allowing wealthy people to invest more, he said the productivity of the average worker would be improved.

This increased productivity would, in turn, improve the status of the economy, he said.

Although many people argue that cutting capital gains taxes benefits the wealthy, Riew said the measure would help all citizens.

"It is not really correct to say that capital gains tax cuts are a bonanza for the wealthy period," he said. "In due time, it could benefit the people who are not as wealthy."

But Robert O'Connor, associate professor of political science, said cutting taxes for businesses has proved to be inefficient. "I think we've learned that that's silly -- it doesn't work," O'Connor said. "We learned that from the Reagan years."

Despite the arguments against the efficiency of the cuts, O'Connor said Republicans are not clear on whether it is a priority to shrink the deficit or reduce taxes.

"It seems to me that the current proposal from Mr. Gingrich is going nowhere," O'Connor said. While many Republicans want to cut taxes, he said others are saying such a measure would increase the deficit.

Local Republicans believe that cutting the-deficit and taxes should be priorities.

"I think they're both equally important," said Eileen Grimm, College Republicans president. The middle class is carrying a burden by paying high taxes, while the deficit has gotten so large, she said. However, Grimm said because deficit is not likely to be tamed in the near future, it would be better to cut taxes.

But Mike Schiano, College Democrats vice president, said the Republican Party is taking the wrong approach to cutting taxes.

The program is the same kind of trickle-down economics that has never worked, Schiano said. These kinds of taxes, he said, serve to make the rich richer.

"We really need to look at our tax policies in terms of who is getting the benefits and who isn't," Schiano said.