ICYMI: TIMES LEADER: CHILD TAX CREDIT TAX CUT PAYMENTS HELPING AREA FAMILIES

PENNSYLVANIA —  The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader this weekend highlighted how the Child Tax Credit tax cut payments are making a big difference in the lives of Northeastern PA families following a PA Dems press conference last Thursday with local officials. Last week, millions of families across Pennsylvania received their third round of monthly tax cuts as part of the expanded Child Tax Credit program included in the American Rescue Plan. As State Senator Marty Flynn said at Thursday’s press event, this tax cut is “supercharging” the economy in northeastern Pennsylvania by investing $30.8 million into the local economy.

Times Leader: Cartwright: Child Tax Credit tax cut payments helping area families

Local lawmakers joined families from the Wilkes-Barre and Scranton areas online Thursday to highlight the Child Tax Credit. On Wednesday, millions of families across Pennsylvania received their third round of monthly tax cuts as part of the expanded Child Tax Credit program included in the American Rescue Plan. The virtual meeting was organized by the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.

auren McCurdy, a mother of four from Mountain Top, is a current school board member in the Crestwood School District. She said this is the boost her family needed. McCurdy said she is managing a household of four generations.

“My father was a front line worker in the COVID unit at one of our local hospitals,” McCurdy said. “My husband had to continue working all throughout the pandemic. And I was very fearful all the time of what might happen.”

McCurdy said she was desperate to keep things together, so this little bit of extra money in her pocket has given her some piece of mind.

“These things really matter,” she said. “Time is money and money is time, and a quality of life for a parent is really about giving your children a little bit extra time and when you’re rushing around all the time and you can’t provide those precious hours in the evening before bed. Because you’re making up for what you cannot provide during the day. That’s what this tax credit has allowed us to do here.”

McCurdy added, “Now I have this little bit of extra money in the bank and I feel like I can finally take care of some of the things that many other families would consider negligible expenses. But to me, they’re really big. I’m able to do the things that I should be able to do with my kids now because I just have this little bit of extra support.”

State Sen. Marty Flynn, D-Scranton, said this tax credit will be helping out more than two million children in Pennsylvania, lifting more than 140,000 children across the commonwealth out of poverty.

“It’s basically super-charging our economy around northeastern Pennsylvania by investing $30.8 million into the local economy,” Flynn said.

Flynn noted that this tax cut for working families was not supported by a single Republican in the House or Senate, but he is also being met with opposition from his colleagues in both the State House and Senate.

“The Republican majority just wants to store the money away for a rainy day fund,” Flynn said. “When the house is burning for a lot of people, they’re struggling to make ends meet through this pandemic, especially with their childcare, they can’t afford it. They can’t go to work, they have to stay home with their children. It’s forcing hardship, and there’s no need for that when we have these funds.”

Flynn credited President Joe Biden and the Democrats that “were able to get this package through for the American people and the people of Pennsylvania, which is huge.”

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