Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-NE, said he would fight hard to ensure that the adoption tax credit is included in any tax reform plan. “This is a real time, real life policy that works,” he said. The proposed House GOP tax plan would eliminate the adoption tax credit.
The tax credit, which was created through a bipartisan effort in 1996, allows families a maximum credit of $13,570 per eligible child. This amount can aid parents significantly, especially when families can spend upwards of $30,000 on the whole adoption process, according to the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute.
The new GOP tax proposal would eliminate these credits and repeal a taxable income exclusion for employee adoption assistance programs. Both of these would go into effect in after 2017.
Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-Ne) told CNA that adoption assistance sends the message that the government willing to help families,.
“The adoption tax credit is a clear and legitimate statement by the government that we have a preferential policy for life,” Fortenberry said. “We are vigorously making the case of its inclusion in the tax package. This is a real time, real life policy that works.”