This sign-on survey represents a chance for you to support the financial wellness of low- to moderate- wage workers, while boosting the Maryland economy! We can accomplish this through an expanded state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in Maryland. In the 2016 session, the General Assembly was poised to become a national model in expanding the EITC for younger workers, not claiming dependents (often referred to as "childless workers"). Despite widespread support among legislators, the bill died in the last hours of session due to a disagreement on tax cuts amended into the bill.
The fight for a greater EITC in Maryland is stronger than ever!
A Maryland EITC that better reaches young workers struggling on low wages could help them get a stronger foothold in the labor market as it did with single mothers leaving welfare in the 1990s. An expanded credit could put up to $510 per year back in the pockets of hard-working Marylanders, helping them afford basics like food, utilities and clothing while also providing an economic boost to neighborhood businesses. Expanded EITC policies have proven particularly beneficial for Veterans, women, individuals transitioning out of foster care, and independent young workers just entering the workforce.
Currently, Maryland is missing out on an opportunity to ensure young workers with low incomes get a better start in the workforce and in adulthood. Maryland’s refundable EITC works with the federal EITC to help almost 400,000 of Maryland’s working families make ends meet, and stay out of poverty. Unfortunately, these credits do little to make work pay for one group of workers in our state—those without dependent children, including many low-income younger workers just starting out.
Under current law, a worker who is not claiming any dependents must be between the ages of 25 and 64 to claim the tax credit. At most, these workers can receive $125 in state EITC; the average state credit is $68. Workers at the official poverty level ($11,770 per year for a single adult) would get an even smaller state credit of $43, and a full-time minimum wage worker would get just $5.
Our proposed expansion could help 355,000 of our neighbors, clients, and friends afford housing, food, transportation, education, and other necessities. It could safeguard the economic health of younger workers in Maryland, while rewarding work, fighting poverty, and stimulating the economy.
By signing on you can support the following changes to the Maryland EITC:
1. Increasing the credit for single filers to 100% of the federal EITC ($510 for 2017 filers).
2. Increasing the income threshold for single filers to twice the poverty level ($14,000-$23,000).
3. Expanding the credit to benefit individuals ages 18-24.
If you wish to support this initiative as an individual or an organization, please continue with this survey to sign on. Feel free to repeat the survey to sign on as an individual and on behalf of your organization. Thank you!
