Rewarding Work Through the Tax Code: The Power and Potential of the Earned Income Tax Credit in 27 Cities and Rural Areas

The Brookings Institution released a report that reviewed the spatial distribution of the Earned Income Tax Credit in places that participated in the National Tax Assistance for Working Families Campaign. Findings include that across the sites, around 2 million families obtained more than $3.4 billion in EITC refunds in 2000. On average, the income of working families were increased by $1,700, or 13 percent. Additionally, in 1999, an estimated $212 million of EITC money was spent on paid tax preparers and refund anticipation loans across 27 of the sites.