GOP Tax Bill Would Eliminate Adoption Credit
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What’s the story?
Currently, those adopting a child receive a one-time credit of $13,570 per child.
The House GOP tax bill would eliminate this adoption tax credit.
The credit is meant to help offset the cost of adoption, which can be quite hefty: a survey by Adoptive Families magazine found that the average family spent about $34,000 on an independent adoption and around $40,000 to adopt through an agency.
Various groups are criticizing the proposal to eliminate the adoption credit, including religious organizations and pro-life advocates. Even some House Republicans have questioned the move, with Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) tweeting:
Tax Bill is strong but needs to include adoption tax credit. Providing a home for a child that is unwanted or special needs is pro-life!
— Rep. Mark Walker (@RepMarkWalker) November 3, 2017
But Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), the chief writer of the House GOP tax overhaul plan - and the father of two adopted sons - defended the cut, saying:
"This credit is not working."
Why does it matter?
Brady told the Washington Post that the Republican tax plan is about "giving families more in their paychecks, especially the middle-class families that are crucial for adoption."
But Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, tweeted:
The adoption tax credit is not just one more policy issue. Vulnerable children ought to be a priority for us all.
— Russell Moore (@drmoore) November 2, 2017
Which prompted Nebraska GOP Sen. Ben Sasse to tweet in response:
Amen. Being pro-life means being pro-adoption. Congress must remember this as we work through the details of tax reform in the coming weeks. https://t.co/7rPz6lU0hE
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) November 3, 2017
Lauren Arnold, executive director of the Adoption Exchange, expressed concerns that without the tax credit, many families won’t be able to afford adoption.
"What’s at stake here is the child who’s not going to be adopted because there’s not as much of an incentive or it’s too much of a financial burden for a family to undertake that task," Arnold told CBS4 Denver.
According to Arnold, the adoption credit actually saves taxpayers money: "Every child that ages out of foster care without a permanent home costs us as a state, a system, about $300,000 per child. So it’s pretty significant the small amount of the tax credit can offset a huge cost to the state."
There are currently 112,000 children in the U.S. waiting to be adopted.
On Tuesday, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) sent a letter to members of the House, outlining its objections to the cut:
"Adoption affirms the unborn child’s right to life, allowing each baby to enter the world as a blessing for another family… National Right to Life believes that Congress ought to remove financial barriers to adoption, not create them."
Brady, however, has continued to defend the elimination of the credit. During an event on Friday hosted by Politico, he told the crowd:
"There are tough choices, when you look at medical expenses, student loan, the adoption tax credit, something near and dear to me. These are tough calls and the call is this:
"Do we want a tax code that has special provisions you may use once in your life or do we want a tax code that lowers rates and you get help every year of your life?”
What do you think?
Do you agree with Brady that the adoption "credit is not working"? Or is slashing the credit going to hurt adoption rates? Should the GOP reinstate the adoption credit? Is pro-adoption, pro-life? Hit Take Action, tell your reps, then tell your fellow citizens below.
— Josh Herman
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(Photo Credit: SolStock / iStockphoto)
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