Lucas County allots $5,000 to promote tax credit

12/4/2008

The Lucas County commissioners have appropriated $5,000 toward the Greater Toledo Cash Campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the earned income tax credit.

The organization, formerly called the Lucas County Earned Income Tax Credit Coalition, is co-chaired by county Treasurer Wade Kapszukiewicz and county Commissioner Ben Konop and is operated by United Way of Greater Toledo.

The earned income tax credit was passed by Congress in 1975 as an offset to Social Security taxes and as an incentive to work, according to the IRS Web site.

According to Mr. Kapszukiewicz, there are thousands of people who qualify for the credit but do not use it leaving $7 million unclaimed each year.

He said taxpayers who qualify for the credit save an average of about $1,800 per year.