The Connecticut Nonprofit Child Tax Credit Coalition joined a group of lawmakers, nonprofits, and families at a news conference Wednesday to call for a permanent, fully refundable child tax credit.
The credit would give families $600 a year per child with the goal of closing the gap on child poverty and creating a fair tax system.
Lawmakers said pursuing a tax credit could impact 75 percent of families in Connecticut. This is important because currently 39 percent of families in Connecticut are not able to make ends meet, according to the Connecticut United Way. Eleven percent are living paycheck to paycheck or falling behind.
Lawmakers said the costs of essentials rose 18 percent over the last two years due to inflation.
“Everything is just going up and up, except for our wages,” said Jessica Chubbuch, a single parent who would benefit from the tax credit.
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Parents said many of them are working hard to provide for their families, but it is extremely hard with rising costs as parents have to miss bills, go into deeper debt by maxing out credit cards, or make a trade-off between which bill is most important to pay at one time.
“The $600 could help towards groceries, with gas and I’m going to be speaking," Chubbuch explained.
Lawmakers said 65 percent of Asian families, 88 percent of Black families, and 91 percent of Latino families in Connecticut will be positively impacted by the tax credit if it is passed as law.
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“As a single mom I’ve raised my kids on just one income. I’ve always worked. I’ve always needed to stretch my dollars. Some years were better than others,” said Jessica Vargas, a single mother from New Britain.
According to the Connecticut United Way, Connecticut is the only high cost of living state with a broad-based personal income tax that does not adjust for the number of children or child care expenses a person has.
Dozens of lawmakers showed up to the press conference in support. Those who are on the finance committee met shortly after to discuss the child tax credit.
