United States President Barack Obama has said US tax bills will begin to fall from April, hailing a tax cut he called the fastest ever to take effect.
In his weekly radio and internet address, President Obama said the typical American family would gain by at least $US65 a month.
He also pledged to cut America's trillion-dollar deficit.
The tax cuts announced on Saturday are part of a $787 billion stimulus plan that Mr Obama signed into law this week.
The plan, aimed at reviving the US economy amid a global economic crisis, is split into 36% for tax cuts and 64% percent allocated for spending on social programmes.
Mr Obama said the US treasury had already begun directing employers to reduce the amount of taxes claimed from pay cheques.
Mr Obama said work must now start on trying to stabilise the banking system, stem the fall in house prices and get budget deficits under control.
He announced that he would call a fiscal summit on Monday to discuss an inherited deficit of $1.3 trillion.
An unnamed US official was later quoted as saying Mr Obama intended to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term.
This would be done by scaling back on the war in Iraq, increasing taxes on those earning more than $250,000 a year and making government more efficient, the official said.
Mr Obama said he would address the nation about his priorities on Tuesday before issuing a budget on Thursday.
