MDRC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and social policy research firm, is testing and evaluating a demonstration project – Paycheck Plus – that offers workers without dependent children an enhanced Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The program is being implemented and evaluated in two U.S. cities – New York, New York and Atlanta, Georgia. The…
With all eyes on the federal tax debates, it’s important to not lose sight of tax policy discussions and opportunities in the states. State and local tax systems often make it more difficult for families to make their way out of poverty, but the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) lays out state tax policy tools…
The Common Cents Lab within the Center for Advanced Hindsight at Duke University has released a new guide for VITA practitioners aimed at improving VITA-related outcomes by recommending interventions based on behavioral science. The Lab, which studies financial decision making, designed the guide to build on existing best practices. It outlines a series of solutions…
An October report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) demonstrates that federal safety net programs – including refundable tax credits – have driven a significant decline in child poverty over the last decades. Researchers analyzed data from the federal Supplemental Poverty Measure – which includes income from SNAP and other federal non-cash benefits and refundable tax…
The Road to Zero Wealth, a report released this Fall by Prosperity Now and the Institute for Policy Studies, examines the growing racial wealth divide and explores policy interventions that could reverse this trend. The report lays the foundation for a broad policy agenda by emphasizing the importance of gathering sufficient information on the barriers low-wealth households face in…