Revenues
Lower the Investment Income Limit for the Earned Income Tax Credit and Extend That Limit to the Refundable Portion of the Child Tax Credit
CBO periodically issues a compendium of policy options (called Options for Reducing the Deficit) covering a broad range of issues, as well as separate reports that include options for changing federal tax and spending policies in particular areas. This option appears in one of those publications. The options are derived from many sources and reflect a range of possibilities. For each option, CBO presents an estimate of its effects on the budget but makes no recommendations. Inclusion or exclusion of any particular option does not imply an endorsement or rejection by CBO.
| Billions of Dollars | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 | 2032 | 2023– 2027 |
2023– 2032 |
| Decrease (-) in the Deficit | * | -1.3 | -1.3 | -1.3 | -1.2 | -1.2 | -1.2 | -1.3 | -1.3 | -1.3 | -5.1 | -11.6 |
Data source: Staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation.
This option would take effect in January 2023.
* = between -$50 million and zero.
People with low or moderate income are eligible for certain refundable tax credits if they meet specified criteria. Refundable tax credits differ from other tax preferences, such as deductions, in that their value may exceed the amount of income taxes that the person owes. If the amount of a refundable tax credit exceeds a person's tax liability before that credit is applied, the government pays the excess to that person. Refundable tax credits thus can result in net payments from the government to a taxpayer, and those payments are classified as outlays in the federal budget. Two refundable tax credits are available only to workers: the earned income tax credit (EITC) and the refundable portion of the child tax credit (referred to in the tax code as the additional child tax credit).
To qualify for the EITC and the refundable portion of the child tax credit, people must meet several income requirements. First, they must have income from wages, salaries, or self-employment. Second, their income cannot exceed certain thresholds, which vary according to family characteristics. Finally, for the EITC only, eligibility is restricted to filers with investment income below a certain threshold. In 2022, that threshold is $10,300. (Investment income comprises interest, including taxexempt interest; dividends; capital gains; royalties and rents from personal property; and returns from passive activities—that is, business pursuits in which the person is not actively involved.)
This option would lower the EITC threshold for investment income to $1,800. As under current law, that threshold would be adjusted, or indexed, to include the effects of inflation. Moreover, the option would extend the investment threshold to the refundable portion of the child tax credit.