Increasing the Refundable Child Tax Credit
Senators Lincoln (D-AR) and Snowe (R-ME) have introduced a bill (S 1162) in the Senate that would increase the refundability of the Child Tax Credit at a cost of $3.5 billion over ten years and pay for it by closing Enron-related tax shelters. Contact your Senators and urge them to support the Lincoln-Snowe refundable Child Tax Credit bill. It is critical that we seize this opening and push for increased refundability --meaning that low-income families get the expanded assistance that middle income families will receive with the new tax law.
All Senators offices can be reached by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202 224-3121. Once connected to your Senator's office, ask for their staff person who handles taxes. Urge your Senator to support S.1162 the Lincoln-Snowe refundable Child Tax Credit.
Please call both your Senators as soon as possible.
The recently passed tax bill increases the child tax credit to $1,000 for middle income children but does not provide similar benefits to low income working families with children. When the Senate passed the original tax bill it included a Lincoln-Snowe provision that would have benefited 11.9 million children and their families. Unfortunately it was stripped from the bill before it went to the floor of either Chamber.
In a June 3 letter to Congressional Leadership, Cardinal McCarrick said: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is very disappointed that the tax bill just signed by the President does not increase the refundable portion of the child tax credit.
The Catholic bishops were early supporters of changes in the tax code like the child tax credit that assist low-income families. In their 1991 pastoral statement, Putting Children and Families First, the bishops asserted: "We welcome proposals to reform the tax code to help families cope with the high cost of raising children. These proposals, which have drawn bipartisan support, would allow middle income families with children to keep more of what they earn and would help lift low income families out of poverty."
More information: Thom Shellabarger 202 541 3189, tshellabarger@usccb.org