Unmarried Fathers Gain Tax Incentive in Pataki Proposal

[Rose Siding]

Gov. George E. Pataki will unveil a program this week that would make New York the first state in the nation to use tax credits, along with other incentives, intended to motivate low-income fathers to work and pay child support, according to state officials.

"We think that engaging the dads has to be the next phase of welfare reform," said a senior administration official who provided details of the plan in advance on the condition that he not be identified. "We want to encourage really poor dads to get into the economic mainstream by rewarding work."

The central proposal of the plan would vastly expand the state's Earned Income Tax Credit for fathers under 30 who earn less than $12,000 a year and who do not live with their children but are up to date in their child support payments, the official said. The maximum annual credit such a man can receive now is $390 from the federal government and $130 from the state. Under Mr. Pataki's proposal, the same man could receive up to $1,560 from the state.
...
The plan would cost $16 million in the first year. With the state facing a deficit of at least $6 billion, it is unclear whether Mr. Pataki can get his proposal through a divided Legislature. The tax credits, which in effect are income payments for the working poor, tend to be popular among liberal politicians. Marriage incentives and work programs tend to be favored by conservatives.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/17/nyregion/17dads.html?oref=login

[imenja]

1. as long as doesn't create financial incentive for leaving their families

it sounds okay to me. One thing that has always bothered me is that the entire public discussion of single parent families, unwed mothers, divorce, problems with youth violence and education all center on mothers. If the men in these children's lives were as responsible as their mothers are, we wouldn't have such a great problem.

[Clark2008]

2. I guess he's not going to run for president.

The religious nuts won't like someone A. Giving "hand-outs" to poor people and B.) Especially those who, gasp, have children and aren't married.

/sarcasm

[mutus_frutex]

3. As long as they are not forced to get married..

I'm fine with it.

I hate the idea of giving people incentives to get married.

[vpigrad]

4. Shouldn't the mothers...

be the ones given the incentives? That doesn't make sense that if a man is able to take a child from its own mother that the man is then given a reward?

[sandnsea]

5. Helping noncustodial parents

Very good idea, way past due, too bad a Republican got to it first.