Click here to download and sign the Oregon EIC Coalition Endorsement

The Oregon Earned Income Credit Coalition

“Helping working families and communities thrive.”

The Earned Income Credit (EIC) is an anti-poverty and work incentive program run by the federal government. The EIC is targeted to individuals and especially families who earn low to moderate wages. If a worker qualifies, the EIC will lower or eliminate any taxes owed. If a worker is not obligated to pay any taxes or if the credit is larger than any taxes owed, the worker will receive a cash payment ("refund") from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after filing a tax return.  For the 2007 tax year, Oregon’s state-level EIC provides an additional 5% above what a worker may claim for a federal EIC (this and more information on EICs available on the web at: www.taxcreditresources.com).   

At just 5%, Oregon’s EIC is one of the most conservative in the nation.  Some states have credits as high as 35% above the federal EIC.  In our state, workers in the lowest income brackets pay 9% of their income to state and local taxes, while the highest paid workers contribute only 6.7%.  The Oregon Earned Income Credit Coalition is working to expand the state Earned Income Tax Credit, in order to make Oregon’s tax system fair for low-wage working families. 

The Oregon EIC Coalition’s plan is to raise the state’s tax credit to at least 18%, ensuring Oregon’s prosperity is shared with hard-working families.  This plan will cut taxes for one in seven households throughout the state, reaching over 200,000 households.  For a family of four living at the poverty line, it will supplement their income by about $480 more per year, enough to cover a few credit hours at a community college, a major car repair, or a sports program for their children.  Research suggests that currently, most EIC dollars are spent locally and quickly on necessities such as food, rent, and gasoline. 

Nearly all of the benefit of the EIC goes to working families with children.  By investing in the quality of life for children in Oregon now, we invest in the future of our state.  Join Portland Impact in supporting a plan to reward hard work, help low-income communities, increase Oregon’s investment in opportunity, and create fairness for working families by signing the Oregon Earned Income Credit Coalition’s Endorsement.