When the increased child tax credit was provided directly to American families, children eat healthier, family members paid off debt, and fathers were capable of improving their work-related abilities, reports Desert News.
According to a Brookings Institution worldwide working paper published this month, the now-defunct initiative, which was given out monthly for 6 months, was a waste of money. The paper, titled “The Impacts of the Expanded Child Tax Credit on Family Employment, Nutrition, and Financial Well-Being in 2021,” is based on information from the Social Policy Institute’s Child Tax Credit Panel Survey.
A total of 1,782 American parents who were qualified for the benefit were included in the nationally representative panel. A comparison group of 2,015 families was also included in the study who were ineligible. The evaluation was dependent on a wave of surveys sent out shortly after the last payment was received.
Common Uses Of The Child Tax Credit’s Monthly Payments
- Household expenses such as rent and utilities were paid by 70% of the people.
- For their children, 58% purchased clothes or other necessities.
- 56% spent more money on their families’ food.
- 49% put money away for unforeseen circumstances.
- 42% of those who had debt were able to pay it off.
Neither those who were qualified for the monthly payments nor those who were not found to have statistically significant changes in their employment. However, in comparison to those who were not qualified for the tax credit, qualified families were 1.3 times more eager to initiate working on gaining new professional skills.
When compared to obtaining a tax credit in a flat sum after completing their taxes, more than 6 in 10 people who received monthly payments felt it was easier to budget. According to a report by the Niskanen Center, the payments were especially beneficial to people in rural areas.
