New video and tools to save tax credits for working families

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Today more than 140 religious leaders and over two dozen non-profit organizations and foundations are speaking out against state budget plans that threaten tax credits for hundreds of thousands of working families and seniors. Clergy from across Oklahoma have signed a letter urging lawmakers not to reduce Oklahoma’s Earned Income Tax Credit, Sales Tax Relief Credit, or Child Tax Credit/Child Care Tax Credit.

They are joined by over two dozen organizations and foundations in calling on lawmakers to fully preserve the broad-based tax credits in this year’s budget. Those joining the call included groups representing children (Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, Child Care Resource Center, Emergency Infant Services), seniors (Oklahoma Alliance on Aging, Silver-Haired Legislature Alumni Council), religious groups (Oklahoma Conference of Churches, VOICE, Tulsa Interfaith Alliance, Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry), major foundations (Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, Hille Foundation, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, George Kaiser Family Foundation), food banks (Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma), Oklahoma Policy Institute, and others.

The plan being circulated by state legislators would end the Child Tax Credit and significantly reduce the Earned Income Tax Credit and Sales Tax Relief Credit, for a combined cut of about $76 million. These credits provide crucial supports for hard-pressed families that are already struggling to make ends meet.  A couple with two children earning $35,000 a year could pay $180 more per year under this proposal, while elderly couples on fixed incomes could lose most or all of their $80 Sales Tax Relief Credit.  The tax increase on low- and moderate-income families would take effect at the same time as lawmakers are allowing a tax cut for top incomes that costs more than twice as much ($147 million) and provides minimal or no benefits to most families that could now lose these broad-based credits.

You can join the call too! Click here to be connected to your legislators and see sample language to advocate for protecting broad-based tax credits for hundreds of thousands of Oklahoma families. You can learn more about the issue and download a fact sheet by clicking here and find out what some of the better alternatives for closing the budget gap are by clicking here.