Hillary Clinton proposing tax credit for caregivers
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is proposing a new tax credit for middle-class families providing care for aging parents or grandparents on Sunday at a town hall meeting in Clinton, Iowa.
According to an aide, Clinton will call for the creation of a credit for up to $6,000 in expenses to offset the cost to taxpayers caring for elderly family members. Her proposal is modeled on a bill introduced earlier this year by Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
"Hillary Clinton knows that as baby boomers age, more and more families will need to provide care for or will need care from loved ones," reads a fact sheet on Clinton's plan shared by the aide.
The credit is the newest addition to set of tax relief measures that Clinton has introduced as she seeks the Democratic nomination for president. As part of her plan to expand and build on the Affordable Care Act, Clinton has already proposed a $5,000 tax credit for families with excessive out of pocket costs for health care.
"Other candidates want to increase taxes for working people and the middle class as part of their health care plans," Clinton said Saturday at an outdoor gathering of local Democrats in North Charleston. "I don't want to see your taxes go up, I want to see your healthcare costs go down."
Clinton has also said she supports extending the American Opportunity Tax Credit for education expenses.
In addition to the tax credit for caregivers, Clinton will also propose on Sunday that caregivers, who often decide to take time off of work or leave the paid workforce entirely in order to care for a child or parent, receive credits toward Social Security retirement benefits.
Under her plan, Clinton would also invest more money into programs that provide grant dollars for respite care needs, like short stays in caregiving facilities, and launch a government-wide "Care Workers Initiative" to guide training and placement for care workers and ensure that they are paid fairly.