The CDC Foundation has published its Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Public Health Action Guide for public health care professionals. This guide includes information on EITCs, how EITCs keep more families and children above the poverty line, and their link with positive health outcomes, especially among mothers and children. The goal for this guide is to…
VITA Innovations and Adaptations in the Current Moment: A Conversation for Funders Thursday, May 14 I 1pm – 2pm EST The COVID-19 crisis continues to alter the VITA landscape and tax preparation in this extended tax season, and likely beyond. As the VITA community retools to meet this moment for its existing clients, reaching non-filers…
A recent Inside Philanthropy article takes a closer look at the work of the EITC Funders Network in the realm of budget and fiscal policy, in the context of the COVID-19, and in the path ahead. Money in People’s Pockets: How This Funder Network Confronts Economic Hardship, by Philip Rojc, features the voice of our…
Over the last month, the number of unemployment claims has risen to 22 million, with low-wage workers – those who are the most vulnerable and have the least amount of job protection – in the bull’s eye of the pandemic’s threat to the labor force. This economic crisis has already erased the number of jobs…
So much has shifted in the last weeks. The federal tax deadline has been postponed to July 15th, 2020 and VITA sites have been forced to close out of caution for their volunteers, coordinators, and clients. As the VITA community retools to meet this moment for its existing clients, stimulus checks have been authorized and will be administered by…
Tell us about The Rockefeller Foundation’s Equity and Economic Opportunity Initiative. How does investment in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) advance the goals of this program? Using the tools of policy, data, technology, science, innovative finance, and the power of convening to identify and scale up solutions to address…
A new report by Jesse Rothstein from IRLE at UC Berkeley and Ben Zipperer of the Economic Policy Institute shows that the EITC and the minimum wage are complementary policies that, in many cases, may be more effective together than either is on its own. “Policy discussions often treat EITC expansion and raising the minimum…
The 2020 tax season is underway, and advocates from the National Consumer Law Center have issued their annual advisory on taxpayer consumer protection issues including tax-time financial products, the lack of upfront pricing for tax preparation services, and private debt collection. “Tax time is such a challenge for low-income and other vulnerable taxpayers,” said Michael…
A new report lays out the findings from research conducted by Prosperity Now, the Social Policy Institute at Washington University and SaverLife (formerly EARN) on the behaviors and outcomes related to savings and the financial-wellbeing of LMI tax filers. Key takeaways from this research include: Low-and-moderate income tax filers are saving at higher rates than…
On February 24th, the “public charge” regulation – which essentially institutes a wealth test on the immigration system – took effect. Litigation is proceeding in the lower courts, but in the meantime, the regulations are continuing to sow fear and confusion in immigrant communities, harming the health, nutrition, and housing of immigrant families nationwide. The Protecting Immigrant…