Thoughts on Half in Ten’s “Restoring Shared Prosperity”

Half in Ten's stated goal is to halve poverty in ten years.

The Half in Ten Campaign’s stated goal is to cut poverty in the United States in half in ten years, and they just released their October 2011 inaugural report, “Restoring Shared Prosperity: Strategies to Cut Poverty and Expand Economic Growth.” NCTC joined the conference call for the report’s official release, so we had the opportunity to hear directly from the authors about this new resource. To track the progress towards their goal, they’re keeping track of a set of indicators that fall into three categories: creating good jobs, strengthening families, and promoting economic security.

State Stories: Strengthen the EITC, Strengthen Local Economies

Sean Noble serves as NCTC's Director of Public Policy & Research

This week, NCTC was able to help our Illinois affiliate – the Center for Economic Progress – make an important plug for increasing that state’s Earned Income Tax Credit.

Illinois lawmakers are considering a package of tax-relief measures for businesses that have raised concerns about the effects of a state income tax increase approved last January. Governor Pat Quinn has insisted that any such package include a long-overdue boost in the Illinois EITC, which – set at 5 percent of the federal credit – now is tied for the nation’s second-smallest such state credit.

The Long & Short of EITC’s Value to Families

The majority of households claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit do so only for brief stretches of time, according to new research that indicates the credit’s value as a short-term aid to many families in temporary need of help.

Many people might think of the EITC as primarily a long-term income support for low- and moderate-income families, and that’s true in some cases.  But the credit is also important as a temporary aid “for short periods during shocks to income or family structure,” according to a new report published Sept. 28 in Public Finance Review.