Bishop Murphy Urges Congress To Preserve, Improve Tax Credits That Benefit Working Poor Families And Children
WASHINGTON (September 21, 2010) —The chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York, urged Congress to give priority attention to working poor families and their children as it debates tax policy. “Too often the weak and vulnerable are not heard in the tax debate,” wrote Bishop Murphy in a September 20 letter to Congress. He specifically asked them to preserve and improve the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). “Poverty is increasing in our nation. How you structure taxes can make this moral challenge better or worse,” wrote Bishop Murphy. “Recently the U.S. Census Bureau reported that in 2009 43.6 million people in the United States lived in poverty. It went on to point out that if ‘refundable credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit were added to income, then almost three million children would move above the poverty line.’” Bishop Murphy added, “We believe these essential programs assist workers and families raising children to provide the necessities of life. Unless Congress acts, these vulnerable workers and their children will be left worse off than they are now. The ethical principles of all Americans lead us to recognize that we have a social and civic responsibility to stand with these families and children.” The full text of the letter is available online at: www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/2010-20-09-ltr-murphy-taxcredits.pdf --- http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2010/10-164.shtml
WASHINGTON (September 21, 2010) —The chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York, urged Congress to give priority attention to working poor families and their children as it debates tax policy. “Too often the weak and vulnerable are not heard in the tax debate,” wrote Bishop Murphy in a September 20 letter to Congress. He specifically asked them to preserve and improve the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). “Poverty is increasing in our nation. How you structure taxes can make this moral challenge better or worse,” wrote Bishop Murphy. “Recently the U.S. Census Bureau reported that in 2009 43.6 million people in the United States lived in poverty. It went on to point out that if ‘refundable credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit were added to income, then almost three million children would move above the poverty line.’” Bishop Murphy added, “We believe these essential programs assist workers and families raising children to provide the necessities of life. Unless Congress acts, these vulnerable workers and their children will be left worse off than they are now. The ethical principles of all Americans lead us to recognize that we have a social and civic responsibility to stand with these families and children.” The full text of the letter is available online at: www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/2010-20-09-ltr-murphy-taxcredits.pdf --- http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2010/10-164.shtml
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