FACTBOX: presidential candidates' economic policy views

(Reuters) - The following are highlights from recent comments on economic policy from several top U.S. presidential candidates.

DEMOCRATS

New York Sen. Hillary Clinton

Clinton proposed a retirement savings plan for lower- and middle-class families that would include tax credits as incentives for savings.

Her health-care plan would require all Americans to get health insurance. Under a public-private partnership, they would keep existing coverage or choose from private insurance options available to members of Congress. Individuals may also choose a public plan similar to Medicare.

On China, Clinton has said tougher import standards are necessary to keep food and consumer goods safe. "We also have to deal with their currency manipulation," she said.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama

Obama has called for a refundable tax credit worth $4,000 for college tuition every year, and wants to automatically enroll workers in retirement plans to boost savings.

He said if trade partners are manipulating their currency, "we take them to the mat on this issue. It means that we are also not running up deficits and asking China to bail us out and finance it, because it's pretty hard to have a tough negotiation when the Chinese are our bankers."

He has proposed a national public insurance program to allow individuals and small businesses to buy affordable health care similar to that available to federal employees.

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards

Edwards has proposed a tax credit to match up to $500 a year in savings for families earning up to $75,000 that could be used for various purposes including retirement, college education, and buying a home.

He supports universal health care, and has proposed a system that calls for private companies, government and individuals to share responsibility for obtaining coverage. It creates new tax credits, expands Medicaid and the federal-state children's health insurance plan, and takes steps to contain health care costs.

He thinks countries including China and Japan must make meaningful progress toward ending currency manipulation, and all U.S. trade partners should be required to enforce at least the core labor rights defined by the International Labor Organization.

REPUBLICANS

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani

Giuliani has said he believes in supply-side economics "because he did it and he saw it work," according to his official Web site. He considers himself "the real fiscal conservative" in the presidential race.

He has called for a 20 percent reduction in the federal civilian work force in the next decade through attrition and retirement, and wants a constitutional amendment establishing a presidential line-item veto.

On health care, he has proposed a health insurance credit for low-income Americans to help make coverage more affordable for the uninsured. He also called for reforms to the medical liability legal system to end frivolous lawsuits.

Arizona Sen. John McCain

McCain thinks opening new trade markets "is a key to U.S. economic success," but also advocates education and retraining for workers displaced by global trade.

He says excessive government borrowing and deficit spending should be stopped, and argues that too much federal money is siphoned off "to satisfy special interests."

On health care, besides offering a refundable $2,500 tax credit, $5,000 for families, his plan would promote open health care markets by letting providers practice nationwide, rather than restricting them regionally.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney

He has proposed eliminating taxes on income from savings, capital gains and dividends for any taxpayer with adjusted gross income of under $200,000.

On trade, he said: "We have to keep our markets open or we go the way of Russia and the Soviet Union, which is a collapse. And I recognize there are some people who will argue for protectionism because the short-term benefits sound pretty good, but long term you kill your economy."

On health care, Romney has proposed tax breaks and other incentives to those without insurance, and tax breaks for individuals who buy their own health insurance with a high deductible. He favors tax deductions for out-of-pocket medical expenses and co-payments for services.

(Sources: Reuters, candidates' Web sites)

(Compiled by Emily Kaiser; Editing by Tom Hals)