“The last-minute change to the recent tax cut that left our working families out was shameful,” Ross said.  “It is simply wrong to enact a tax cut in the name of economic relief and not give that relief to hard-working families struggling to make ends meet and provide for their children.  While I voted against the overall tax cut last month, I have always supported extending the child tax credit because it helps families who need it most.  This legislation will correct the unfair distribution, ensuring that some 76,000 working families in Arkansas who make between $10,500 to $26,625 per year will receive the same tax cut currently offered to 25 million other families.”

The Working Taxpayer Fairness Restoration Act broadens the eligibility for the child tax credit to 132,000 children in Arkansas. The proposal would accelerate the scheduled increase in the refundability of the child tax credit from 10 percent to 15 percent of earnings, ensuring that 6.5 million working families will be included in the child tax credit.

The recent tax cut package omitted families who earn between $10,500 and $26,625 a year from receiving the child tax credit available to other income brackets, including some of the wealthiest Americans.  

The new legislation provides relief for our working families without adding a penny to the deficit by closing corporate loopholes that allow corporations to use tax shelters or avoid taxes by moving their headquarters offshore.