Home > SNAP (Food Stamps) and Earned Income Tax Credit Had Big Antipoverty Impact in 2011

SNAP (Food Stamps) and Earned Income Tax Credit Had Big Antipoverty Impact in 2011

September 12, 2012 at 4:34 pm

http://www.offthechartsblog.org/snap-food-stamps-and-earned-income-tax-credit-had-big-antipoverty-impact-in-2011/
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Posted in:   Earned Income Tax Credit, Federal Tax, Food Assistance, Food Stamps, Poverty and Income, Recession and Recovery, Trends

The official poverty figures count only cash income, so they don’t reflect the antipoverty impact of some key safety net programs, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and SNAP (formerly food stamps).  But the Census data released this morning show that if you count these benefits, the EITC lifted 5.7 million people — including 3 million children — out of poverty in 2011, and SNAP lifted out 3.9 million people, including 1.7 million children.

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More About Arloc Sherman

Arloc Sherman

Sherman is a Senior Researcher focusing on family income trends, income support policies, and the causes and consequences of poverty.

Full bio | Blog Archive | Research archive at CBPP.org

Arloc Sherman


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Posted in:
Earned Income Tax Credit, Federal Tax, Food Assistance, Food Stamps, Poverty and Income, Recession and Recovery, Trends

1 Comment

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  1. Francis Ferguson Ph.D.(economics) #
    09.12.2012 21:02
    1

    While the effects of anti-poverty measures are important, and lift significant numbers of people who are at or below the official poverty income level to a position above the cutoff, it is still relevant to know how many people this economic system relates to poverty in absence of corrective measures. This latter figure reflects the actual results of the current economy. The post-ameliorative number reflect how much off-setting good the government can achieve.

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