A robust pro-life, pro-family agenda requires the government to support all children better materially, at all stages of life, and the families into which they are born. A new child tax credit proposal introduced this week by Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) would do just that.
The tax reform proposal is an update to a similar version proposed by Romney last year. The fundamentals of the bill are the same, with a few important changes. Under the plan, which is being co-sponsored by Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Richard Burr (R-NC), the current $2,000-a-year child tax credit would become a $3,000-per-child benefit for families with children between the ages of 6 and 17, and a $4,200 benefit for each child under 6. The benefit would be doled out on a monthly basis.
Importantly, the new version of Romney’s bill makes sure the benefit begins during pregnancy, four months before a baby’s due date. This change is important in that it recognizes the unborn child as a valuable human being worthy of protection and financial support. And it also acknowledges the financial and physical toll pregnancy can take on a mother, who is just as worthy of protection and support as the child she carries, and as worthy before she gives birth as she is afterward.
A few other changes made to Romney’s updated proposal include modest marriage and work requirements, both of which were missing from the original bill. Under the new version of the bill, the full child benefit is only available to families that made $10,000 in annual income in the prior year. Families making less than this amount per year will still receive a benefit, but one that is reduced in proportion to their earnings. Families earning $400,000 or more annually would also receive less.
Over at National Review, Yuval Levin and Scott Winship explain why this requirement is so important. It “not only incentivizes work,” they argue, “but also incentivizes marriage (since it is easier for married-couple families to meet [the $10,000] test).” But “the requirement is not so demanding that it will deny substantial support to most single parents. Roughly two-thirds of single parents would qualify for the full benefit if no one changes how much they now work, and of course, if the policy encourages some parents to work more, then that number will be higher,” they said.
The finance mechanism of the plan is the same as it was before. It would eliminate the existing child tax credit and three other aid programs: the Child and Dependent Care Credit, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, and the “head of household” tax filing status. And, most importantly, it would scrap the state and local tax deduction, which effectively serves as a massive tax break for wealthy individuals living in high-tax states. In short, the bill is structured to avoid adding trillions of new spending to the federal deficit, an especially important point as inflation rates continue to rise.
Support for Romney’s plan among conservatives should be a no-brainer. It recognizes the personhood of unborn children, rewards family formation, and promotes the dignity of work. And it would help reorient government around the family — the bedrock of society — without giving in to liberal demands. This is the kind of family-forward conservatism the country needs, and Romney’s plan would bring us one step closer to it.
