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Working Families Tax Rebate by Legislative District

Posted by Andy Nicholas at Jan 29, 2010 01:00 PM |
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In facing our economic and fiscal situation, we need a balanced and responsible approach including tax increases.  Full funding for the Working Families Tax Rebate (WFTR) -- a tax rebate for lower and moderate income working Washingtonians – should be a key element of any revenue strategy.  While tax increases are necessary to preserve basic public services like health care and education, the WFTR is needed to offset the added costs for vulnerable families in Washington. 

The Working Families Tax Rebate will refund a portion of the state retail sales tax to the 350,000 Washington households that qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. Statewide, 12 percent of households were eligible for the EITC in 2006 and would have therefore been eligible for the WFTR. The map below shows the share of tax filers who would have been eligible for the WFTR by legislative district. The districts with the highest percentages of eligible Washingtonians live in rural and small metropolitan areas. For example, one in four tax filers in the Yakima area would have been eligible for the WFTR. In general, all communities in Washington would benefit.

WFTR_map2

 

Click on the map for a larger version

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Rebate

Posted by Aaron Smythe at Feb 02, 2010 08:50 AM
Is it true that the average rebate check would only be around $20? How much would it cost taxpayers for the state to create, print, mail, track, and support a $20 check to 300,000 people?

Rebate

Posted by Andy Nicholas at Feb 02, 2010 05:11 PM
The poorest fifth of families with kids in Washington (those earning less than $21,100 per year) would receive an average annual rebate of over $200. (The minimum rebate is currently set at $50.) And because the WFTR is tied to the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the IRS would assume much of the administrative costs associated with the program.

Thanks for your question.

Rebate

Posted by Andy Nicholas at Feb 03, 2010 11:41 AM
For more information on the amount of rebate, see the WFTR calculator included in our latest schmudget post.

(http://www.budgetandpolicy.[…]-families-rebate-calculator)


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