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WORKING FAMILIES
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WORKING FAMILIES

Too many working parents struggle to meet their family's basic needs for food, housing, quality education and good health. Read a story about one Illinois family's challenges.

What Voices for Illinois Children is Doing

Voices helps lead efforts to:

  • Increase the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income, working families.
  • Establish children's savings accounts to help families build assets.
  • Provide paid family leave insurance so workers can afford to take time off to address significant family health needs.

What You Can Do

  • Contact your legislators and explain that increasing the state EITC to at least 10 percent of the federal credit would improve tax fairness for low-income families, alleviate child poverty during a deep recession, and stimulate economic activity in local communities. Use this fact sheet and this issue brief for additional information and perspective.
  • Use this template letter to our members of Congress, highlighting the importance of the Earned Income Tax (EITC) and Child Tax (CTC) Credit improvements in The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) affecting low- and middle-income families and children in our state.  

  • Contact your legislator and the Governor and tell them to increase the Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit.

  • Take action to support tax fairness for working families by visiting our State Budget Action Center.

Learn More

  • Our new issue brief explains why increasing the state EITC to at least 10 percent of the federal credit would improve tax fairness for low-income families, alleviate child poverty during a deep recession, and stimulate economic activity in local communities.
  • Understand how the Earned Income Tax Credit improves tax fairness for low-income working families by reviewing our testimony to the House Revenue and Finance Committee.

  • Use this  fact sheet to learn about the Earned Income Tax (EITC) and Child Tax (CTC) Credit improvements in The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and how they impact Illinois' working families and their children.


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