News Round-Up: January 8, 2018
Here are some highlights from the past week’s news on family tax credit issues.
- After overhauling the tax code, Republicans in Congress are turning their attention to federal safety net programs, and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) may be a target. House Ways and Means Committee member Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) is calling for increased “government oversight” of the program to address improper payments. (WIBW) However, Bruce Meyer, visiting scholar at the right-learning American Enterprise Institute (AEI), argued that the numbers around improper EITC payments are often overstated and debunked the myth that the program is rife with error. (AEI)
- The Michigan Senate is considering a bill to increase the state’s EITC. The credit was reduced from 20 percent of the federal credit to six percent in 2012, and anti-poverty advocates across the state are calling on lawmakers to restore it to higher levels to help protect Michigan’s children from poverty. (Cadillac News)
- We questioned why the EITC was left out of the GOP’s agenda for tax reform after a new study added to the growing body of research on the credit’s effectiveness. (TCWF)
- On February 1, join Prosperity Now and TCWF on Capitol Hill to discuss how policymakers and advocates can work together to protect the EITC and other policies that help working families post-tax reform. (TCWF)