TCA in the News
New York Lawmakers Consider Tax Reforms to Aid ITIN-Filers
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by Daniel Parra
Both the Senate and the Assembly have included tax-related reforms in their “one-house” budget proposals that would impact those with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs), often used by immigrant workers. Advocates say extending credits to this population would help reduce child poverty.
Adi Talwar
Ciria Santiago with her daughter in their Queens apartment on March 8, 2024. Santiago’s family would be among those aided by the proposed Working Families Tax Credit. “I would use that money to save for my daughter’s college,” said Santiago.
Lea la versión en español aquí
In 2011, Ciria Santiago began filing taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)—used by people without Social Security numbers to file federal taxes with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). But despite having a 10-year-old daughter who was born in the United States, and unlike many other parents who file, she receives no tax credits.
Claudia Vildavila has five children, two of whom—the youngest—were born in the U.S., and she has been filing taxes since she arrived in the country nine years ago. However, she too is unable to claim tax credits on their behalf.
While New York offers some tax credits for which families with mixed immigration status may be eligible, such as the lesser-known Empire State Child Credit, ITIN filers are still unable to access most other credits intended for low-income families, lagging behind several other states that have made more inclusive tax reforms.
Advocates say that locks out many immigrant families with children from the long-term effects and benefits of tax credits in reducing child poverty, at a time when housing and living costs have become increasingly unaffordable for many. They point to an increasingly robust body of research showing the health, educational, and financial benefits that come from such access.
After years of proposed reforms, state lawmakers are about to begin another round of negotiations this session. Both the Senate and the Assembly included tax policy changes in their “one-house” budget proposals unveiled this month. However, the two houses presented differing options.
Read the full story at City Limits.