Congressional Democrats have spent the past eight years itching for a chance to undo their least favorite Bush-era policies.

But it increasingly looks like one of the administration’s most unpopular initiatives among Democrats — tax cuts for top earners — won’t get touched by the 111th Congress.

As President-elect Barack Obama worries about doing anything that could dampen his economic recovery efforts, he has been vague about repealing the tax cuts before they expire on Dec. 31, 2010, and he said earlier this week that he would wait for a recommendation from his recently appointed economic team.

Republicans are likely to continue their efforts to extend all of the Bush-era tax cuts beyond their expiration date, providing automatic objections to repeal. Meanwhile, and more strikingly, some key Democratic tax writers in Congress are now saying that they, too, want to let the clock run out.

Rep. Richard E. Neal , D-Mass., said he definitely does not want a large tax increase now, given the economic climate. Instead, he wants to look at the rates in the context of a broader effort to revamp the tax structure.

“It strikes me that in a crisis of this magnitude, there’s an opportunity to take a look at the tax code from A to Z,” said Neal, who is expected once again to chair the Ways and Means Committee’s tax subcommittee.

The two most important Democrats — Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus of Montana and Ways and Means Chairman Charles B. Rangel of New York — have not taken a position on the issue. However, Baucus was one of the architects of the 2001 bill and Rangel’s proposed “mother of all tax reforms” was silent on the question of repeal.

And without a clear push from Obama, it could be politically advantageous for members to avoid voting for a tax increase.

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