iPetition: Please allow the EITC for UI claimants

My name is Amy Barnes, and I am one of many jobless parents just now discovering the nightmare that unemployment really is.

Unemployed parents are barred from declaring Unemployment Income benefits as qualifying income to receive the EITC, (often called the “kiddie tax credit”) and this is a hardship beyond all measure.  Parents desperately need this tax credit in order to survive, and the money will enable the jobless to keep up the search for a longer period of time after UI benefits expire.

[EDIT:] I have a WhiteHouse.gov petition – I need 25,000 signatures on it – and PLEASE call your elected rep in Congress and the House to press your support for parents who WORK at finding a new career to be able to CLAIM the EITC on their taxed benefits! 
Go Here —> https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/classify-ui-benefits-qualifying-income-eitc-instead-depriving-parents-needed-money-they-work/qMZ4skzG

I am asking all supporters of my position to sign in the comments (no URL formatted text as the SPAM filter kicks in) section below – I will present the letter and comments to the head of the IRS and to President Barack Obama, and am hoping to reach a goal of over 5,000 signatures.  I’ve tried other petition-specific platforms, and people who tried to sign up got errors.

————————–Petition is below——————————————————–

Dear Internal Revenue Service and President Barack Obama:

The Earned Income Tax Credit is an important financial lifeline for parents to cover the costs of childcare while working.  It was passed as a financial incentive to allow two parents to afford to work outside the home.

To claim the EITC, the parent(s) must be employed.  The Department of Labor defines “employ” as “to suffer or permit to work.”  Under this theory, the IRS classification of Unemployment Insurance benefits as non-qualifying income for the EITC to be claimed is not correct.  In order to receive UI benefits, claimants are required to conduct a diligent search for a new job.  This very directed act qualifies as “employment.”

The EITC was created in order to reduce the financial burdens of working parents – and job searches require the use of babysitters, day care, or some other form of care.  The basic costs of food, shelter, clothing, and medical care have not changed as a result of joblessness.  The unemployed face higher costs of living because UI benefits do not cover real living costs and the jobless often resort to predatory loans or 401k account cash-outs to survive.  The costs of finding work (mileage, extra car cleanings, formal dress suits, etc.) often exceed the costs of commuting and regular self-care while employed.

Unemployed parents desperately need to be able to claim the EITC – because the money comes in as a lump sum, parents are able to escape predatory loans acquired while fighting to receive UI benefits, lower the burden on the Department of Labor by funding the costs of a start-up small side business, pay for education, or keep a savings cushion that will be used to pay for emergency medical care while searching for work.

Please do the right thing and help unemployed parents become more able to afford the higher costs of looking for a new career; overturn the decision to exclude Unemployment Insurance benefits from the list of allowed income sources for claiming the EITC.

Thank you,
Amy Barnes

[ members of the general public are encouraged and are asked to comment in support.]

About Amy Barnes

Author has extensive experience in Retail, including two years as a supervisor. Educated in Psychology, Financial Accounting, Criminal Justice, and Programming. Work experience in Law Enforcement, Security (IT), Programming (REALBasic, SQL, VB, JAVA), Retail.
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