October 20, 2017 (BOSTON) — In Washington, DC, Congress is currently debating ways to reform the Federal tax code, and organizations like Jumpstart recognize this as an opportunity for Congress to break the cycle of poverty by enacting common sense reforms that better serve the many children and families currently struggling to make ends meet, and make meaningful changes that allow them to thrive.
Jumpstart’s nearly 25 years of experience serving low-income communities has given us a unique insight into which policies have the potential to make a difference for the country’s most underserved families. Today, Jumpstart announced its recommendations for three basic reforms that could make a meaningful impact for millions of families:
- Congress should make tax credits refundable, allowing those who owe the federal government little or no taxes to still receive a refund check.
- Child-based tax credits should be increased, and indexed to inflation to ensure they remain useful over time.
- The Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards, the awards that AmeriCorps members receive after successful completion of service that must be used to pay for post-secondary education costs or repay student loans, should be made tax-free, allowing public servants to rightfully receive the full value of their award.
Jumpstart continues to work toward the day when every child in America enters kindergarten prepared to succeed. Institutional poverty, underlined by our current tax code, holds millions of children back from reaching their full potential. To create a country in which every child has an opportunity to succeed, our lawmakers must make tax reform work for all families, not just the wealthiest. Current proposals from the administration and several Members of Congress would not only ignore working families, but widen economic inequality. In alignment with our Policy Principles, Jumpstart has sent our Members of Congress this one-page document that outlines the policies that will help lift families from poverty.
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