Update of the Benefits and Costs of a Child Allowance—April 2024
This update records the refinements we have made to our benefit-cost child allowance model to date.
The Benefits and Costs of a U.S. Child Allowance
This benefit-cost analysis of a U.S. child allowance indicates that making the $2000 Child Tax Credit fully refundable and increasing benefits to $3000/$3600 would cost $97 billion per year and generate social benefits of $929 billion per year, a very strong return for the U.S. population.
The Costs and Benefits of Expanding the Empire State Child Tax Credit in New York City
Research finds that cash and near-cash benefits increase children’s health, education, and future earnings while also decreasing costs with respect to health, child protection, and criminal justice. We find that expanding the Empire State Tax Credit to $1,000 per child for all children in New York City under 17, with the exception of high-income families, would cost about $1.1 billion and would generate about $9.8 billion in benefits to society.
The Costs and Benefits of Expanding the Empire State Child Tax Credit
Research finds that cash and near-cash benefits increase children’s health, education, and future earnings while also decreasing costs with respect to health, child protection, and criminal justice. We find that expanding the Empire State Tax Credit to $1,000 per child for all children in New York State under 17, with the exception of high-income families, would cost about $2.7 billion and would generate about $26.2 billion in benefits to society.