The impoverished section of New York managed to survive on food stamps until they received a lifeline when Congress boosted the food stamp aid during the worst days of the Coronavirus pandemic.
But now, that form of stimulus check payment is gone. The last payments were sent out quite some time back, so the seniors and families that have already rolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program currently face a massive hunger cliff as they would be receiving considerably lower payouts in the months ahead. This is why the Child Tax Credit needs to expand in the coming months.
Child Tax Credit- Expansion Can Help Reduce Suffering
Multiple researchers have indicated that when the people in New York received the expanded federal Child Tax Credit, around 90% of the families stated that they would be spending the additional cash on necessities like clothing, food, rent, school supplies, or utilities. Interestingly, there are quite a few bills in contention that could potentially expand the Credit, and further widen its reach. One such bill aims at the expansion of the Empire State Child Credit to a permanent $1,000-per-child credit for all children under the age of 4 years, and a sum of $500 for all children who are between the ages of 4 and 17.
The Child Tax Credit would further expand their eligibility criteria to families at the lowest levels of income by eliminating that families will need to have a certain minimum income in order to qualify for this payment. Families with a single-headed household would be making up to $75,000, while married joint filers will be making up to a sum of $110,000- which would allow them to qualify for this payment. The payments would also be issued quarterly- something that could easily help one with food, utilities, clothing, and other forms of expenses.
