Honoring the Campaign for Working Families.

WHEREAS, Under the leadership of the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition and its President Sharmain Matlock-Turner, the Campaign for Working Families has launched a City-wide campaign in January to bring millions of earned income tax credit monies to working Philadelphia families this year; and

WHEREAS, The Campaign for Working Families and its constituent community groups have partnered with the Internal Revenue Service to staff Voluntary Income Tax Assistance Sites in Philadelphia at 18 locations; and

WHEREAS, In 2003, its first year in existence, the Campaign, through its volunteer tax preparers, brought $3,924,622.00 in additional income to struggling working families in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission estimates that in 2002, 45,000 eligible Philadelphia households did not file for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or analogous state relief; and

WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission estimates that $76.5 million in tax credits available under the federal EITC program alone were not received by low or moderate income Philadelphia working households; and

WHEREAS, In hard economic times, when federal tax relief is primarily targeted at high net worth individuals and multinational corporations, it is critically important that working Philadelphia families get the fullest benefit possible from all EITC programs and the Campaign deserves recognition for their progressive work; now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby honor the Campaign for Working Families for its progression and dedication to working people of Philadelphia.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution shall be presented to the Campaign for Working Families as evidence of this legislative body’s intention to work closely with the Campaign and to lead the fight to help working Philadelphians apply for sate and federal tax relief.

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