I was very concerned to read an article in the Oct. 15 Herald, “IMF downgrades outlook for world economy,” because the people who bear the brunt of a financial downturn are often those who have the least.
The United States could soften the blow on some of our more vulnerable citizens by changes in tax policy. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) help provide a financial lifeline to families trying to make ends meet. These tax credits help lift almost eight million people above the federal poverty line in 2018, but that still leaves five million workers behind. Congress is currently considering tax legislation that would benefit corporations and the wealthy instead of focusing on where the need is greatest. I hope that Reps. Rick Larsen and Suzan Delbene will instead expand the EITC and the CTC by co-sponsoring HR 3157, the Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2019.
Erica Schweizer
Seattle
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