Take Action Now:Call your senators at (202) 224-3121 and ask them to include in any tax legislation moving towards enactment an improvement in the Child Tax Credit (CTC) that extends the CTC to families with earnings of $8,500 and above, and ends the annual increases in required earnings that deprive millions of poor children and families of this much needed help.
The Half in Ten Campaign (a collaborative of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the Coalition on Human Needs and ACORN) is focused on reducing poverty by 50 percent in 10 years. One critical component of the campaign is to expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC) to help millions of poor children in America. Current law denies the CTC to millions of poor children and their families simply because they earn too little to owe federal income tax. The House has approved H.R. 6049, expanding the CTC, and it's time for the Senate to do the same and help millions of children now!
The approved House bill, H.R. 6049, lowers the minimum required earnings from the current $12,050 to $8,500. Last month Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus, D. Mont., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D. Nev., introduced a substitute bill (S. 3125) matching the House level of required earnings.
This expansion allows more than 13 million children to become eligible to receive the credit or receive an increased amount. Additionally, large numbers of African-American and Latino children are denied the credit because of their parents' below-poverty wages. The parents of these children work hard in low-paying jobs.
Also, current law raises the minimum required earnings to receive the CTC each year to match the inflation rate. Since the CTC became available to working poor families in 2001, the minimum earnings has risen from $10,000 to $12,050 - despite the fact that many low-earning families have not seen their wages rise. The Senate needs to end the annual increases in required earnings that are depriving millions of poor children and families of this much needed help. |
Make the call!Tell your senators to extend the CTC and end annual increases in required earnings. During these tough economic times, helping our lowest-income families should be a top priority.
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