Dividend Growth Investor

Global Dividend Yield Trends

That's a very good question buyitcheap and it concerns a lot of investors out there.
My belief is that certain companies, which have paid dividends consistently for over one decade would not cut their payments. Companies used to pay dividends for several decades even before the 2003 act. For example XOM has paid dividends since 1911. I don't see management changing this policy.
The few companies that have started paying out dividends due to the 2003 act, are a wild card however. If a company cuts dividends simply because the tax act expired, I would stay away from this stock. If you are a long-term investor like me, you are interested in long-term performance and not short-term financial maneuvring.
Companies like JNJ, which has increased dividends for over 4 decades are the ones which won't likely be affected by the tax expiration.