March 2nd, 2023 by WCBC Radio

Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller urged lawmakers Wednesday to approve an extension and expansion of tax credits for low-income residents that helped them during the pandemic but are set to end.

The proposal is a priority for Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat who included $171 million in his $63.1 billion budget plan for the legislation. It would make permanent an expansion of the state’s earned income tax credit approved in 2021 for tax years through 2022. The measure also would expand the state’s child tax credit.

“Both of these programs are proven to significantly reduce poverty in the state,” Miller told the state Senate Budget & Taxation Committee. “The earned income tax credit is a popular bipartisan program that supports low-income workers and creates an incentive to participate in the labor force.”

While Maryland has the highest median income in the country, one in eight children live in poverty, Miller told the panel.