News Round Up: March 12, 2018

Here are some highlights from the past week’s news on family tax credit issue.

  • Today, Idaho Governor Butch Otter (R) signed legislation to enact a nonrefundable, state-level Child Tax Credit worth $130 per child as part of a larger tax cut package. Advocates have criticized the package for not doing enough to shield the state’s lowest-wage residents from tax hikes brought on by the new federal tax law. In response, House Majority Leader Mike Moyle (R) introduced a bill to expand the credit to $205 per child. The Idaho House Revenue and Taxation Committee today voted unanimously in favor of the bill, which now heads to the full House for approval, and Governor Otter has indicated his support for the legislation. (TCWF, The Spokesman-Review)
  • The Maryland Senate Budget and Taxation Committee unanimously approved a bill to lower the age of eligibility for the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) from 25 to 18. The bill is contingent upon the passage of an increase to the standard deduction. (The Baltimore Sun)
  • Dylan Grundman, a senior policy analyst at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), highlighted Maine’s efforts to expand its EITC and enact a CTC among ways states are trying to shield their low-wage residents from tax hikes brought on by the new federal tax law. (ITEP)
  • In honor of International Women’s Day, we blogged about how tax credits can help close the women’s wealth gap. (TCWF)