No One Is in Charge: Leaving Federal EITC Bucks on the Table

Chuck Sheketoff

Oregon is in last place nationally when it comes to the share of families qualifying for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) who claim it. About a quarter of eligible Oregon working families do not claim the federal EITC.

This tax credit helps low-income households make ends meet, and enjoys bi-partisan support as an effective anti-poverty tool.

Working families missing out on these federal work-support dollars have a harder time getting by. It also means fewer federal dollars — about $124 million a year — ultimately not flowing into businesses in communities throughout Oregon.

It should be a priority of Oregon policymakers to make a state agency responsible for promoting the credit. This is costing the state’s economy millions in federal dollars and needlessly making life more difficult for families who are already hurting.

See Last in EITC Participation: Oregon Leaves Millions on the Table.

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Chuck Sheketoff is the executive director of the Oregon Center for Public Policy. You can sign up to receive email notification of OCPP materials at www.ocpp.org.

By Chuck Sheketoff Nov. 06, 2015