Refundable tax credits, including the expanded child tax credit and the earned income tax credit, lifted 9.6 million people out of poverty. Stimulus checks protected him by an additional 8.9 million. The effect was particularly large for people of color. For example, the percentage of black children living in poverty has dropped from 17.2% in 2021 to 8.3% in 2021.
Some conservatives argue that declining poverty rates offer few lessons for the future.
Michael R. Strain, director of economic policy research at the American Enterprise Institute, said: “Given poverty in the broader sense related to issues of self-sufficiency, income and upward mobility, I do not think that deep poverty reduction based on temporary temporary income transfers is really poverty reduction. “
But for many beneficiaries, the aid was the starting point for a better life.
Among those lifted out of poverty with government assistance is Christina Ennis, 29, a Pittsburgh restaurant waiter who gave birth to her first child last year. Her maternity leave has reduced her income and the pandemic has reduced her fiancé’s work hours.
Their income, after taxes and labor costs, would have been below the $25,000 poverty line. However, the Safety Net provided them with assistance worth more than $18,000, taking into account stimulus payments, tax credits and food stamps. 1 consisted of pandemic-related assistance and the rest through permanent safety nets.
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Ennis said the financial pressure kept the couple arguing and depressed, but the tax credits were close to $8,000 and the debt was reduced. She said her help made her a more attentive mother and bought her boyfriend time to find a better job. They used some of the money to fund their wedding, which is scheduled for Saturday.