Democrats in Lansing want to restore the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income residents. The credit has been cut to less than a third of what it was a couple years ago.
Governor Rick Snyder calls the state credit redundant, saying the federal government has its own Earned Income Tax Credit for people with low wages.
But Democratic state Senator Burt Johnson says the state can mean a few hundred extra dollars people can use for basic needs. He says he’s confident Republicans in the Legislature will be on board.
“It’s really important to make sure that we get the majority’s attention on this to do something that is honest to goodness great for people,” he says. “Many single parents and head of household are using those dollars, not as discretionary dollars, but really as dollars that are necessary to try to maintain a particular quality of life.
“And it really does impact children, the likes of which find themselves mired in poverty in Michigan more than in any other time in our history,” he says.
Some conservative lawmakers have already expressed interest in boosting the tax credit. They say it promotes employment in low-income communities.
The legislation would raise the credit to 20 percent of what the federal government offers. Right now, it’s at six percent.
Comments
Post new comment