Legislators and community members rally to preserve major working families tax credit
HONOLULU, Hawaiʻi — At a press conference scheduled for April 11 at 9 a.m., community members, advocates and legislators will urge the Hawaiʻi State Legislature to pass House Bill 510, which would extend and improve the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
More than one in seven Hawaiʻi residents were eligible for the EITC, according to the latest available data, with an average benefit from the state of over $300. More than 105,000 children lived in households that qualified for the EITC.
HB510, which just passed its final committee hearing on April 7, would extend the state EITC for six years; otherwise, it will expire this year. The bill would also improve the EITC so that lower-income households can get its full benefit.
Currently, workers paid the lowest wages can’t take full advantage of the state EITC. At the press conference, speakers will call on the Legislature to make the state EITC “refundable” and fix this issue. This improvement would give low-wage workers and their families an important boost as monthly Child Tax Credit payments have ended and inflation pushes prices higher.
An improved EITC would put more money back into Hawaiʻi’s local economy and pay for itself. Research shows it would reduce healthcare costs, improve maternal and child health outcomes, and help close racial inequities.
What: Press conference with community members, advocates and legislators urging the legislature to improve and extend the state Earned Income Tax Credit.
When: Monday, April 11, 2022, 9–10 a.m.
Who: Speakers will include:
Representative Sylvia Luke
Representative Aaron Johanson
Representative Jeanné Kapela
Father David Gierlach, St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church
Workers currently receiving the state Earned Income Tax Credit
Where: Hawaiʻi State Capitol
The speakers will be available for questions from the media.
The Hawaiʻi Tax Fairness Coalition brings together organizations that endorse the principle that for many Hawaiʻi families, the key to self-sufficiency is letting them keep more of what they earn by creating a more equitable tax system. Read more at hitaxfairness.org.
