Taxes and Budget Want to reduce poverty? Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit. In Maine, more than 103,000 families received the federal EITC in 2017 with an average refund of $2,158. Another 20,000, by IRS estimates, are eligible for the credit but […] Bangor Daily News Posted April 19, 2019 Tags EITC, Poverty, Tax Fairness, Taxes
Maine’s Economy Editorial: Fewer Maine children are living in poverty. Thank the minimum wage increase. The Bangor Daily News editorial board published an editorial citing MECEP’s research linking the 2017 minimum wage increase to a dramatic reduction in child poverty: Income for […] Bangor Daily News Posted October 3, 2018 Tags Children, Minimum Wage, Poverty
Taxes and Budget United Nations says solving extreme inequality, poverty will require USA to 'get real about taxes' Deliberate public policy decisions, including a cavalier and unrealistic approach to taxation, are driving preventable inequality and poverty in the United States. That’s according to a recently […] Mario Moretto Posted July 18, 2018 Tags Poverty, Racial Equity, Taxes
Jobs and Income Letter to the Editor: A setback for Maine families Does anyone really think Maine’s food pantries can do it all? Between 2011 and 2015, the number of Maine children living in extreme poverty rose eight times […] Sun Journal Posted April 25, 2018 Tags Children, Food Insecurity, Poverty
Education, Maine’s Economy 'LIFT 2.0' bill will increase earnings, reduce poverty with job training, education On Tuesday, Maine’s Speaker of the House, Sara Gideon, presented a bill to reduce poverty by expanding access to education and job training. The legislation will lift […] Mario Moretto Posted February 16, 2018 Tags Jobs, Poverty, SNAP, TANF
Maine’s Economy Governor's Own Report Reveals the Human Cost of His War on the Poor Destitute and driven deeper into poverty. That’s the result of the LePage administration’s policies for one in seven families removed from the state’s welfare program in 2012. […] James Myall Posted June 1, 2017 Tags Economy, Poverty, SNAP, TANF
Maine’s Economy Maine Governor Attacks Effort to Help Families in Poverty Fewer and fewer Maine families are aided by TANF, a federal block grant program intended to help vulnerable people get on their feet, even as the state […] Rewire Posted May 15, 2017 Tags Economy, Poverty
Maine’s Economy It’s not surprising LePage is upset about a welfare bill that actually helps poor people Data from the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey, compiled by the Maine Center for Economic Policy, show that the proportion of Maine children growing up in extreme […] Bangor Daily News Posted May 13, 2017 Tags Economic Security, Poverty
Maine’s Economy, Taxes and Budget DHHS denies the facts, misappropriates funds Congress authorized to fight Maine’s soaring child poverty For the last seven years, Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) policies have contributed to the disturbing escalation in child poverty and stashed or misappropriated […] James Myall Posted May 11, 2017 Tags Children, Poverty
Taxes and Budget Testimony In Support of LD 1475 “An Act to Reduce Child Poverty by Leveraging Investments in Families Today.” Maine Center for Economic Policy For several years now, Maine’s approach to child poverty has effectively been to ignore it. Federal money earmarked for specific purpose of addressing this problem has been […] Mark Sullivan Posted May 8, 2017 Tags Children, Poverty