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Effects of the expanded child tax credit on household spending : estimates based on U.S. consumer expenditure survey data

Author(s):
Schild, Jake, author
National Bureau of Economic Research
Title(s):
Effects of the expanded child tax credit on household spending : estimates based on U.S. consumer expenditure survey data / Jake Schild, Sophie M. Collyer, Thesia Garner, Neeraj Kaushal, Jiwan Lee, Jane Waldfogel, Christopher T. Wimer.
Series:
NBER working paper series ; working paper 31412
Country of Publication:
United States
Publisher:
Cambridge, Mass. : National Bureau of Economic Research, 2023.
Description:
41 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 22 cm
Language:
English
Summary:
The Child Tax Credit (CTC) was substantially expanded through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, making the benefit more generous, fully refundable, and more periodic. Early studies documented the positive impact of the expanded CTC on reducing poverty and food insufficiency, but there is little research on the impact it had on household spending and, specifically, its impact on child-related spending. We use data from the Consumer Expenditure Interview Survey (CE) and impute CTC payments for all qualifying households to examine whether the expanded CTC increased spending overall, in major categories, and on specific items related to children's education and development. Our findings indicate that families utilized the CTC payments to enhance the well-being of both their children and the entire household. For each $100 of imputed CTC payment, our models show that families spent $75, mainly on food ($28), housing ($31), and child-related goods and services ($15). We also found that the spending response for low-income households, Hispanic households, and non-Hispanic Black households was larger than the spending response of the average household. By analyzing the variation in spending response by race and ethnicity, we are providing policy makers with valuable insights into the experience of marginalized communities.
MeSH:
Child Health/economics
Health Expenditures.*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Taxes
United States
Notes:
June 2023.
Also published electronically.
Other ID:
(OCoLC)1392037921
NLM ID:
9918663681006676 [Book]

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