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The Distributional Effects of the Tax Treatment of Child Care Expenses

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  • William M. Gentry
  • Alison P. Hagy

Abstract

Tax relief for child care expenses, encompassing the Child Care Tax Credit and Dependent Care Assistance Plans, is the largest federal government program in the United States aimed at helping families with child care. We examine the distributional effects of these policies among families with children using both the National Child Care Survey and tax return data. Among families that use tax relief, the benefits average 1.24 percent of family income. Benefits as a percentage of income vary systematically over the income distribution. Despite being regressive at low income levels (mainly due to the credit being non-refundable), tax relief is progressively distributed over most of the income distribution with the ratio of benefits to income falling above the bottom quintile of the income distribution. The benefits of tax relief also vary among families with the same income depending on a family's structure and its labor market and child care choices.

Suggested Citation

  • William M. Gentry & Alison P. Hagy, 1995. "The Distributional Effects of the Tax Treatment of Child Care Expenses," NBER Working Papers 5088, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:5088
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    1. Blau, David M & Robins, Philip K, 1988. "Child-Care Costs and Family Labor Supply," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 70(3), pages 374-381, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Gabrielle Pepin, 2022. "How Would a Permanently Refundable Child and Dependent Care Credit Affect Eligibility, Benefits, and Incentives?," Public Finance Review, , vol. 50(1), pages 33-61, January.
    2. Maria-Isabel Farfan-Portet & Vincent Lorant & Francesca Petrella, 2011. "Access to Childcare Services: The Role of Demand and Supply-Side Policies," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 30(2), pages 165-183, April.
    3. Patricia Apps, 2002. "Why an Earned income tax credit program is a mistake for Australia," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 5(4), pages 549-568, December.
    4. Patricia M. Anderson & Philip B. Levine, 1999. "Child Care and Mothers' Employment Decisions," NBER Working Papers 7058, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. David T. Ellwood & Jeffrey B. Liebman, 2001. "The Middle-Class Parent Penalty: Child Benefits in the US Tax Code," NBER Chapters, in: Tax Policy and the Economy, Volume 15, pages 1-40, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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