Bill > S1477

This bill aims to improve the earned income credit, a tax credit designed to help low-to-moderate income working individuals and families, by making two key changes. First, it modifies Section 6(h) of Chapter 62 of the General Laws, which governs tax provisions, by changing a specific numerical value from "15" to "-50" in two separate instances related to the credit. Second, and more significantly, it introduces new provisions to expand eligibility and awareness of the earned income credit. Specifically, it allows married taxpayers to qualify for the credit even if they file separately, provided they are living apart from their spouse, are victims of domestic abuse, and indicate this on their tax return. Additionally, the bill mandates that the state's Department of Revenue actively promote the earned income credit by requiring employers to post multilingual notices about it, coordinating with various state benefit programs like unemployment insurance and food stamps to notify recipients, and collaborating with a range of organizations to ensure broad dissemination of information.