News Round Up: April 20, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting low-income communities and exacerbating economic inequality across the country. Throughout this crisis, TCWF will compile news, legislation, and research on how tax credits and other income-boosting policies can provide much-needed relief for the hardest-hit communities:

Top Story: New research from Columbia University found that the rising unemployment rate could lead to the highest poverty rate in decades, which will disproportionately impact black Americans and children. (The New York Times)

  • Gia Jones, advocate and writer, and Ife Floyd, senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, urged Congress to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit to help mitigate COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on black maternal and infant health. (Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity)
  • Golden State Opportunity launched the “Million 4 a Billion” campaign, which will help low-income California workers file their 2019 taxes and get their CalEITC refunds as soon as possible to help offset the financial strain of the COVID-19 pandemic. (San Francisco Chronicle)
  • Sukhi Samra, director of the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration, and Stockton mayor Michael Tubbs detailed why the one-time federal Economic Impact Payments are not enough to keep working families afloat during the current economic crisis and urged Congress to support guaranteed recurring income payments. (MarketWatch)
  • The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center highlighted ways the state legislature can help to fill gaps in federal cash support for working families, such as issuing an “Emergency EITC” that isn’t tied to tax time, removing the work incentive, and making the credit available to filers using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). (Medium)