Tax credit lifts 400,000 Maryland workers out of poverty

The Earned Income Tax Credit Increases Work, Decreases Poverty
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which is available at the federal and state level in Maryland, helpskeep working families above the poverty line. It does so by making low-wage employment more viable,allowing workers—especially those with dependent children–whose earned income meets certaineligibility requirements to claim a tax credit. A recent evaluation by the Maryland Department ofLegislative Services found that the Maryland EITC has been effective in raising workers out of poverty aswell as providing ancillary benefits like improving the economy and the health and education of children1.Maryland lawmakers can make the most of both the federal and state credits by taking steps to ensure that eligible families and individuals claim the credit and expanding the credit for workers without qualifying children.