The IRS has to publish the 2011 withholding rates so that employers know how much to withhold for payrolls starting in 2011. The problem is what will Congress do in the "lame duck" session? If Congress does nothing and tax rates go up, employers will have to start withholding higher rates.
Bloomberg.com reports, "Employers in the U.S. are starting to warn their workers to prepare for slimmer paychecks if Congress fails to vote on an extension of Bush-era tax cuts." The article notes that "lawmakers won’t start debating whether to extend the cuts, which expire December 31, until after the November 2 elections" -- and that regardless of what takes place, the IRS "will probably have to assume the cuts will expire and direct employers to increase payroll deductions starting January 1." Bloomberg also reports that "allowing the tax cuts to expire, even temporarily, would deal a blow to disposable income and could curtail the consumer spending that accounts for about 70 percent of the economy," according to economists.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-27/tax-debate-delay-has-employees-in-u-s-preparing-for-smaller-take-home-pay.html
