Washington Outlook: CAPITAL WRAPUP

TAXES

The battle over the tax treatment of intangible assets, such as customer lists, may be resolved soon. The Treasury Dept. and many business groups like a plan by House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Dan Rostenkowski (D-Ill.) to allow intangibles to be written off over 14 years. The General Accounting Office also backs depreciation over a set period. Still unresolved: how to treat the costs of creating goodwill, such as advertising.EDITED BY STAN CROCK