Protecting Nevada’s Working Families

on in Economy

Last week, NCLR traveled to Las Vegas for a town hall where local elected officials, as well as business and advocacy groups in the area, joined a discussion on the need to protect refundable tax credits for working families.

With Congress set to renew tax credits for businesses this fall, panelists, which included Nevada State Assemblyman Nelson Araujo; Margarita Rebollal, Executive Director of Community Services of Nevada; and Rafael Collazo, Director of Political Campaigns at NCLR, shared personal stories about how the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) offer vital financial relief for low- and moderate-income families throughout the Las Vegas area.

In 2009, Congress expanded the EITC and CTC, which are only available to working people, in order to reach lower-income earners. The expansion had an important impact for Nevadans. Approximately 500,000 households in Nevada received the credits in 2013, helping lift more than 100,000 households out of poverty. The EITC also added more than $550 million into Nevada’s economy in 2012. If Congress doesn’t act to make the expansions permanent this fall, more than 440,000 Nevadans could lose some or all of their working-family tax credits, pushing more than 100,000 of Nevada’s children deeper into poverty.

“If lawmakers are willing to help Nevada’s businesses, then they should also support Nevada’s hardworking families. After all, our local businesses rely on consumers in order to thrive,” said Collazo.

The event generated a lively discussion among attendees, who also had the chance to register to vote with Mi Familia Vota, and sign on to a letter to Nevada’s Congressional representatives asking that they support working families by protecting these vital tax credits. A number of local officials also came out to support the campaign and hear from constituents on the issue, including Nevada State Assemblywoman Olivia Diaz and Councilman Issac Barron.

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