Extending Tax Credits for Low-Income Families

Policymakers should be thinking hard about low-income families with children and the tax code. In 2010, the federal income tax system will deliver substantial assistance to these families through refundable tax credits. The Tax Policy Center estimates a third fewer children would be in poverty if tax credits were counted in a persons available resources when measuring poverty. They are among the most potent anti-poverty programs for families with children. In 2011, some aid targeted to the poorest families will disappear as the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (EGTRRA) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).