No one’s spending on IT this year … or are they? Next year will be better … or maybe not. Got whiplash yet?

If you feel torn over whether to open the corporate wallet wider for technology, you’re far from alone.

Even the experts have had to revise their predictions on IT spending, both for 2008 and 2009.

See how your current plans jibe with the latest estimates for this year and next:

You might want to encourage your IT manager to hold off on purchases until the later half of next year.

That’s when more of your peers plan to loosen the purse strings. Once the current credit crunch improves and oil and energy prices moderate, companies will feel more comfortable investing in technology again.

Of course, you want to remind IT there’s no blank check — no one’s going back to the spend-A-thon of the ’90s.

Press the techies to commit to an ROI on all buys and establish timelines for periodic updates on any major projects.

Tags: Corporate wallet, Credit crunch, IT, Spend-A-Thon, Spending projections, Tech spending, Timelines