Tax Credit Article Index for
Tax
Website Links For
Tax Credit
 

Information About

Tax Credit




Tax credits may be characterized as either refundable or '''non-refundable''', or equivalently '''non-wastable''' or '''wastable'''. Refundable or non-wastable tax credits can reduce the tax owed below zero, and result in a net payment to the taxpayer beyond their own payments into the tax system, appearing to be a moderate form of Negative Income Tax . Examples of refundable tax credits include the Earned Income Tax Credit and the additional Child Tax Credit in the US, and the Working Tax Credit s or Child Tax Credit s in the UK.

A non-refundable or wastable tax credit cannot reduce the tax owed below zero, and hence cannot cause a taxpayer to receive a refund in excess of their payments into the tax system. Some examples of non-refundable tax credits are the Hope and Lifetime Learning educational tax credits in the US or the former Children's Tax Credit in the UK. Another example would be declared gifts made to registered charities in the UK under the current Giftaid scheme, which attract tax relief (claimed by the charity) at the standard rate but which cannot reduce the donor's liabilty beyond the amount of tax actaully paid by them in a given year.


TAX CREDITS AND MINIMUM WAGE

Tax credits are like a means tested benefit paid direct to employees to encourage them into work.