Financial struggles for families

Dear Editor,

Working with Children’s HealthWatch at Boston Medical Center has allowed me to be a witness of the financial struggle many families face every day.  One day I heard a story about a mother with two children who was working two jobs and was still having difficulty making ends meet each month.  She began having trouble paying rent and bills on time until she received the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).  Although this provided some relief, it wasn’t enough to cover additional expenses, such as therapy for her three year old son, who was recently diagnosed with multiple developmental delays.

All working Massachusetts families should have enough money to pay for healthful food, rent, and utility bills and still have enough left over to save for difficult times. Current discussions to raise the state EITC offer an opportunity for Massachusetts to lead the nation in improving economic stability and decreasing wealth inequality while also improving health and educational outcomes. Widely regarded as one of the most effective anti-poverty programs in the United States, the EITC offers a tax break for low-income working families. Currently, Massachusetts offers 15 percent of the federal credit and lawmakers have proposed legislation that would increase it up to 50 percent.

Providing an additional boost in EITC would improve the health of children and also allow families to afford basic needs of food, housing, and utilities while also saving money for any unexpected expenses.

Join me in calling on our State Representative and Speaker of the House, Bob DeLeo, to support H2479, “An Act Improving the Earned Income Credit for Working Families,” which would provide families even greater benefits.

Thank you,

Jennifer Cano

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