Weekly News Round-up: January 25, 2016

Here are some highlights from the past week’s news on family tax credit issues. Remember – you also can track news coverage throughout the week by visiting our website, where you can filter news by a specific credit and/or state.

  • This Friday, January 29, Tax Credits for Working Families and the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) will host a policy briefing on Capitol Hill to celebrate Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day and elevate the importance of other tax credits like the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC). Speakers include Johns Hopkins Professor Kathryn Edin, Elaine Maag of the Urban Institute and more. RSVP here:https://eventgrid.com/Events/19159/capitol-hill-policy-forum-whats-next-for-tax-credits-for-low-wage-workers
  • Unable to attend our EITC Day policy briefing in person? Lend your voice on Twitter to the efforts to elevate the EITC by joining the IRS’s ThunderClap here:https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/36365-eitc-awareness-day-2016
  • A new report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) took a look at which American families receive some of the largest need-tested programs, including tax credits like the CTC and EITC (AEI).
  • Republican lawmakers said they are in favor of legislation to expand the EITC, but only if the bill contains provisions to reduce “fraud” rates (Morning Consult).
  • Erica Williams, assistant director of state fiscal research at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, wrote about the effectiveness of state EITCs in reducing poverty and making tax systems fairer (Huffington Post).
  • A new report from Hawaii Appleseed outlines the need for a refundable, state-level EITC to boost Hawaii’s economy and help Hawaiian workers and their families afford basic needs. (Hawaii Appleseed)