A recent water bill included an insert promoting the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). “Were you employed at least one day last year? Get the tax refund you deserve for FREE!” said the insert. The insert gave a website listing 30 free tax preparation sites throughout central Florida. Does anyone “deserve” to receive the EITC? The EITC is a refundable tax credit. This means that you can get a refund of money that you never paid in. But does anyone “deserve” someone else’s money? Of course not. The EITC is a seasonal Republican welfare program, as I recently argued here.

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