US presumptive Democratic presidential Barack Obama and his Republican rival, John McCain, heated up their debates over economy on Tuesday as they speed up their competition for the White House.

Arizona Senator McCain attacked the Illinois Senator's economic proposals that as he said could raise taxes and cut American jobs.

US Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain speaks during a townhall meeting in Kenner, Louisiana June 3, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo) 

"You work hard in small businesses to grow and create new jobs and opportunities for others," he told a conference of the National Federation of Independent Business. "The federal government shouldn't make your work any harder."

In response, Obama told reporters later the day that McCain was trying to mislead public about his economic policies, saying that he would eliminate the capital gains tax "for the small businesses and startups that are the backbone of our economy."

He also said that he would cut taxes for 95 percent of the country's workers should he be elected, while only suspend Presidential George W. Bush's current tax cut on the richest Americans whose annual incomes are above 250,000 US dollars and account for 5 percent of the country's total population.