tax credits

The Treasury Department today unveiled U.S. President Barack Obama's corporate tax rate plan, in an effort to get ahead of Republican candidates who will be promoting their plans this week.

President Obama wants to lower the corporate tax rate from 35% to 28%. He wants an even lower rate for U.S. manufacturers to encourage corporations to produce at home.

Although the move could benefit U.S. corporations down the road, right now it's much more a political tactic than a realistic policy change.

"This is a very cynical move," Greg Valliere, chief political strategist at the Potomac Research Group, told Bloomberg Television. "It comes one day before a Mitt Romney speech in Detroit in which Romney will outline his tax proposal. So in effect the White House is saying, "Hey, we're in favor of tax reform,' even though they know there's virtually no chance of getting anything done this year."

This year will likely mark the start of serious corporate tax rate discussions, but with an election in the fall and bipartisanship in Washington, don't expect a tax rate change in 2012.

"This is such a bitterly gridlocked and divided Congress that something this enormous I think has no chance of making it before 2013," said Valliere.