2016 Earned Income Tax Credit Outreach Campaign

TO: Superintendents and Diocesan Contacts
FROM: Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development
Secretariat of Catholic Education
RE: 2016 Earned Income Tax Credit Outreach Campaign
DATE: February 2016

The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church notes:

250. In order to protect [the] relationship between family and work, an element that must be appreciated and safeguarded is that of a family wage, a wage sufficient to maintain a family and allow it to live decently. Such a wage must also allow for savings that will permit the acquisition of property as a guarantee of freedom. The right to property is closely connected with the existence of families, which protect themselves from need thanks also to savings and to the building up of family property. There can be several different ways to make a family wage a concrete reality. Various forms of important social provisions help to bring it about, for example, family subsidies and other contributions for dependent family members, and also remuneration for the domestic work done in the home by one of the parents.

Millions of working poor families find it increasingly difficult to meet their daily needs and achieve financial security. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) are two of the “important social provisions” to which the Compendium refers that help struggling families escape poverty. These powerful antipoverty initiatives deliver income support to millions of workers in low-wage jobs. Claiming these tax credits can aid in securing better housing, pursuing quality education, obtaining dependable transportation, covering out-of-pocket health care costs, or paying for quality childcare. In fact, research shows that last year, the EITC and CTC combined to lift over five million children out of poverty, making them the most potent tool the government has for fighting child poverty. Congress recently made permanent several critical provisions of these two programs, which ensured that millions of families and their communities will continue to receive this benefit.

In years past, you probably received a Tax Credit Outreach Kit. For the first time, the Kit is available completely online at eitcoutreach.org, and hard copies will not be mailed out. If you have appreciated having a printed kit available, you can still request a copy. Printed posters can also be mailed upon request.

From the website, you can download all the familiar resources:

• Tax Credit Outreach Kit
• Earned Income Tax Credit Facts
• Child Tax Credit Facts
• EITC and CTC Eligibility Comparison Chart
• EITC Estimator
• Outreach Materials (posters, flyers, and envelope stuffers)
• Running Local Outreach Campaigns
• Outreach Strategies
• Asset Development
• FAQs

Thank you for your help and for all that you do to serve poor and vulnerable people and families.

Any questions about the program can be directed to Tom Mulloy, Domestic Policy Advisor, at tmulloy@usccb.org.