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Working family tax credits are the tax break we need
The richest 5% of North Carolina households have an average income 28 times greater than the poorest fifth. More than half of the income in our state in 2018 was held by the wealthiest 20% of North Carolinians. In 2019, before the start of the pandemic, almost one in three North Carolinians lived below 200% of […]
Automatic payments ensure cash assistance reaches families most in need of support
Cash assistance allows low-income families to pay for crucial essentials and relieves the damaging stress that results from struggling to make ends meet with inadequate resources. That stress is known to have lasting negative impacts on children’s health and brain development. Adequate cash assistance directed at families living in poverty can improve children’s health, as […]
Earned Income Tax Credit offers more support for working families than standard deduction proposal
With the inclusion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in the Governor’s budget, North Carolina is closer than it has been in years to renewing the most promising state tax program for working families. North Carolina has one of the highest rates of working poverty in the nation. One in eight North Carolina workers […]
American Rescue Plan means help putting food on the table for North Carolinians
The COVID-19 public health and economic crisis has resulted in significantly elevated levels of food insecurity. Millions of Americans, including disproportionate numbers of children and Black and Latino households, have struggled to afford enough food over the past year. Nationwide, the number of households who are not getting enough to eat has remained at nearly […]
Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit can help N.C. families during COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has shed harsh light on the economic inequality, low wages and decades of inadequate investment in our safety net infrastructure, which are harming North Carolina families and challenging an equitable and speedy recovery from this health and economic crisis. Today, on EITC Awareness Day, we highlight the importance of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to addressing […]
Too little food, too few jobs: Survey shows pandemic-related challenges facing many North Carolinians
“Lost my place because I didn’t have any money coming in. Couldn’t work because the schools were closed and I didn’t have childcare.” — Ginni in Carteret County This is just one response to a survey of North Carolinians who receive food assistance, conducted by the Southern Economic Advancement Project. The COVID-19 crisis has left thousands of […]
More than a million North Carolinians missing out on millions of dollars in stimulus payments
Tens of millions of Americans and more than a million North Carolinians risk losing out on the stimulus payments provided through the recent CARES Act. These payments of $1,200 to individuals and $2,400 to married couples are a crucial lifeline during the economic and health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the current structure of […]
State and federal policy responses to the COVID-19 virus
This blog post will be regularly updated to capture key policy responses to the COVID-19 virus. (Last updated 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 24) Reports from Budget & Tax Center Staff This post summarizes steps taken thus far at both the federal and state levels. Scroll down to see a list of steps taken so far, […]
Expanding the EITC in North Carolina could save lives
Each year, the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) lifts millions of adults and children out of poverty. Given the detrimental impact of poverty on health, there is significant research that demonstrates that the credit has a broad positive impact on many aspects of health. Expansion of the federal EITC, and refundable state-level EITCs have […]
Report: State Earned Income Tax Credit could boost health of low-income North Carolinians
A state Earned Income Tax Credit is a common-sense solution to address North Carolina’s poverty-related public health crisis. Reinstating North Carolina’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) as a refundable credit at the national average of 20 percent of the federal credit has the potential to improve life for the 900,000 North Carolinians who are working for low wages that erect barriers to their economic security and health.
How North Carolina budget proposals undercut “Raise the Age” reforms
North Carolina was the last state in the U.S. to end the automatic prosecution of juveniles of 16 or older as adults when in 2017 the NC General Assembly passed the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act (JJRA). As a result, 16 and 17 year olds charged with non-violent crimes on or after December 1, 2019 will be considered to be under the jurisdiction of the juvenile justice system, pursuant only to specific exceptions.
“Raise the Age” law will require significant new appropriations
North Carolina was the last state in the U.S. to end the automatic prosecution of 16- and 17-year-old juveniles as adults when the General Assembly passed the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act (JJRA) in 2017. As a result, 16- and 17-year-olds charged with non-violent crimes on or after Dec. 1, 2019, will be considered to be […]