Alan Newberg, Bremerton
Kitsap Sun
I would like to thank the Kitsap Sun for the article in the Sunday, Feb. 14 edition discussing the proposed changes in the Child Tax Credit in the Biden Covid-19 relief plan.
The Child Tax credit and its companion the Earned Income Tax Credit have earned the respect among advocates seeking to alleviate poverty as two of the most effective programs in America. Some form of these programs have been in effect for more than 24 years and been instrumental for lifting five and one half million children out of poverty. Even so, studies show that nearly one-third of children in low income families have been left out or disqualified.
Incredibly, one primary reason is that their families earn too little to qualify under the existing rules. Notably, a disproportionate number of the families affected by these limitations are people of color.
The new legislation will go a long way toward righting the inequities of our tax system that affect people living in poverty. Effectively, enacting the Biden plan would nearly halve the child poverty rate in the U.S. I urge all members of Congress (and their constituents) to support this plan with their votes. No investment in our taxes is more important than supporting children.
Alan Newberg, Bremerton