On 15 July, the IRS began distributing the Child Tax Credit that allows sending up to $ 300 dollars per month per child to families. It is a program approved in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) that has a particular impact on Latino communities, highlighted representative Raúl Ruiz (California), president of the Caucus Hispanic Congress.
“The Hispanic community has been greatly affected by the pandemic, more than other groups. We are the community with the most infections, with the most deaths, that have lost the most jobs due to the pandemic, especially women, ”he stated in an interview. “ This loan will help our families… also because we have more children per (social) group than others; will help our families pay rent, food, electricity and transportation “.
During the debate on the approval of the ARP this newspaper published that this fiscal aid would have a “multiplier impact” on the finances of families and the country’s economy.
The Child Tax Credit or CTC provides $ 3, 000 dollars annually in monthly payments for children under 6 years of age, and $ 3, 600 dollars for children under 6 to 17 years .
Economists, such as Chuck Marr, director of Federal Tax Policy, considered then that the plan was important for the poorest families, while the expert Andrés Vinelli, from the Center for American Progress (CAP), told this newspaper that the benefit is one of the best designed to help families .
“There are studies that estimate that a payment of these characteristics, less sual, they would reduce child poverty by half, which is a lot, “he said.
Representative Ruiz emphasized that some families will even be able to save, but that the most important thing is that will help them “stand up and move on” after the crisis caused by the pandemic and before it.
Asked about how the benefit will be measured, the Democratic leader insisted on that it was “pure mathematics.”
“That is part of the mathematics, knowing the income of families, especially those who are below the poverty level, adding the money that they will be able to receive each 15 of the month, the extra $ 250 or $ 250 dollars per child … You can have an income per month that is going to be above 400 percent of the poverty level ”, he indicated.
Rebuild better
Representative Ruiz highlighted the plan of the pr President Biden to “rebuild better”, which started with the ARP and the stimulus check of $ 1, 400 and tax aid for families.
“It is not only for immediate help during the pandemic … it is also part of making the economy grow” , he expressed.
He stressed that, unlike Republicans, Democrats seek to boost the economy from the bottom up, not give more to billionaires.
“The approach of the Democrats and the Republicans is different; the republicans think… in giving money to the millionaires ”, indicated. “(They believe) that we should be grateful that they give us what falls from the table… That is not true.”
He said that supporting the most disadvantaged helps to shore up the economy and make it grow.
“We Democrats believe that the economy should be expanded from below or from the center (upwards),” he said. “By putting money in the pockets of the middle class, they will be consumers, they will buy in small stores, in community stores, and that will help economic development… This type of aid is not only necessary immediately… but also to rebuild better. ”
Does it affect immigration processes?
The Democrat urged Latino families to request help from the IRS, regardless of their immigration status, since if their Children have a Social Security number can receive the benefit.
“It is very important that if you have a son or daughter who has a Social Security number, those children or parents of children can benefit from this credit ”, he stated. “It does not matter the (immigration) status of the parents, what matters is the status of the children” .
He also ruled out that by requesting this help, the migratory processes of the parents are affected, since the CTC is not considered in the “public charge”, which tried to be reinforced by the former president Donald Trump .
“President Biden changed President Trump’s rules – about what they call ‘public charge’,” Ruiz said.
More help on the way
President Biden’s Plan for American Families contemplates extending the CTC for five years, but the representative Ruiz said that they will even seek to make it permanent.
“The Reconciliation process is the vehicle as soon as we are going to extend credit… many of us want to do it ‘forever’… We are going to see what we get to, ”he advanced.
He highlighted the importance of this credit and recalled that experts compare it with Medicare or the program of the Social Security for retirement.
“This credit… is of such a great level, because it will help poor families, large families, they will lift them out of poverty. … They will have a stable foundation for their children, even for their community ”, he declared.
How to apply
Those families interested in the Child Tax Credit must apply to the IRS:
>> Enter the website (in Spanish)
>> Have a qualifying child, that is, who is younger than 18 years at the end of 2021 and have a valid Social Security number
>> Report income levels for evaluation
>> Have an account for monthly deposit of the payment of up to $ 300 dollars