Dear Editor:
If you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to make ends meet. That’s not always the case. Even people who work two or three low-wage jobs can find themselves struggling to put food on the table.
Sometimes working families need extra help just to get by. That’s the purpose of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC). These policies are two of our nation’s strongest tools to promote work and help families build a secure future.
We know kids do better when their families do better. Research shows children in families who benefit from the EITC or CTC are healthier, do better in school, are more likely to go to college and earn more as adults.
But unless Congress acts soon, millions of hardworking Americans could lose an important piece of their budgets when critical provisions of the EITC and CTC expire. If we let this happen, a single mother who has two children and who works full-time at the minimum wage earning just $14,500 would lose her entire CTC of $1,725.
And, 34,000 military and veteran families stand to lose out on their tax credits if Congress does not act to extend them in their current version.
We can’t let this happen.
Clearfield Area United Way and its member agencies urge Senator Casey, Senator Toomey and Representative Thompson to continue to fight for working families to make these critical provisions in the EITC and CTC permanent this year, so hardworking families in Pennsylvania can achieve the American dream.
We thank them and we thank you for reaching out to them.
Sincerely,
Nancy Pinto,
Clearfield Area United Way