8:09 PM
Julio Barreto
The Urban Institute released a series of essays in July which explore ways in which safety net programs can be improved to provide economic benefits to low income families. In an essay entitled Making Work Pay Enough: A Decent Standard of Living for Working Families, Gregory Acs and Margery Austin Turner conclude public programs, as currently constructed, fail to “make work pay”. They offer three recommendations which they believe will increase the income of these families and create greater opportunities for families to move up society’s economic ladder.First, they believe making changes to the earned income tax credit (EITC) and the federal child care tax credit will increase the purchasing power of a low-income family. Second, they call for the creation of a refundable tax credit for families...
