Advocates push for Connecticut to offer child tax credit

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — The United Way and non-profit community leaders and elected officials unveiled their latest policy agenda for 2025 at the State Capitol on Tuesday.

Their goal is to help income-constrained families.

Jacqueline Torres is a single mother of a 2-year-old son. She has two jobs and is in school full-time, but she’s struggling to make ends meet.

“These basic human necessities are highly unaffordable,” she said. “Sometimes there’s not enough money to buy food or to pay my bills.”

Marielle Smith and her husband earn two incomes. They want to buy a house to provide more space for their two children but can’t afford it.

“It’s frustrating,” Smith said. “We work very hard and still coming up short at the end of each month. It just feels like sometimes like our goals are unobtainable.”

Smith and Torres are one of several ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed) families. On Tuesday, they joined state politicians, the United Way, and child care providers to advocate for a state child tax credit.

According to the United Way, Connecticut is the only state in the nation that taxes a family’s income but does not provide them with tax relief to offset the high cost of raising children.

Advocates are hoping to get the matter addressed in the legislative session. They’re pushing for a state credit of $600 per child.

Rhonda Strycharz, who owns a child care facility in Torrington, said it would help with several expenses, including child care.

“In my center, probably at least (75 percent) of the families get Care for Kids, and even with Care for Kids, they still struggle to make the other payments,” Strycharz said.

United Way officials said some families currently receive a federal child tax credit of $1,000 per child. That expanded in 2021 during the pandemic, with many families receiving $3,000. However, the expansion went away in 2022.

United Way also released a new report revealing that nearly 40% of the state’s households fell below the threshold at which they could afford essentials in 2022. That’s up 13% since 2019.

“The quickest way to make a difference (on) the bottom line for families is to make sure they have that money back in their pockets to spend money on what they need to do,” State Rep. Kate Ferrar (D) said.

A CT Senate Republican Caucus spokesperson said Connecticut becomes tougher and tougher for families to make ends meet while “under a one-party Democrat rule.”

“From electricity bills to groceries to insurance, the financial burdens only grow and grow. Republicans continue to offer common sense solutions to lower those burdens. Just last year, we proposed a $2,000 per child tax deduction in addition to the largest across the board tax cut in state history,” the spokesperson said.

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