BLUE BELL, Pa. — Sen. John McCain today proposed $52 billion worth of tax breaks aimed at reducing the impact of stock market losses on the nation’s seniors, providing relief to the unemployed and encouraging savings.

Under his plan, unveiled as he campaigned in a suburb of Philadelphia, seniors would pay lower taxes when they tap their retirement accounts and people who sell falling stocks could write off more of their losses.

Those who are out of work would no longer be taxed on the unemployment benefits they collect. And those who make a profit by selling long-held stocks would pay only half the capital gains taxes for the next two years.

“I will help to create jobs for Americans in the most effective way a president can do this — with tax cuts that are directed specifically to create jobs and protect your life savings,” McCain said to a crowd of about 1,000 people at the Montgomery County Community College.

McCain offered the new economic prescriptions a day before he will face Sen. Barack Obama for the final time in a debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., Wednesday night. Polls suggested that the economic distress of the last several weeks has taken their toll on McCain’s campaign, which has sunk in national and battleground surveys.

His proposals came a day after Obama offered his own ideas for helping those most affected by sinking stocks, the contracting job market and the falling prices of most homes.

The Democratic nominee also aimed some relief at seniors and others who choose to withdraw money from retirement accounts, allowing families to take out up to 15 percent of their savings from 401(k) plans penalty-free.

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