Editorial: Reward work more in the families struggling the most

Remember essential workers?

The folks in the pandemic who at considerable personal risk cooked our food, staffed our gas stations, stocked the shelves at our grocery stores — on and on.

Some of them are remembered in the fullest sense; more than 1 million Americans died of COVID-19 or its complications, and those exposed serving us suffered disproportionately.

Now, with pandemic-recovery revenues surging in the State Capitol, are these generally low-wage employees going to be remembered in Louisiana?

With many lawmakers proposing tax cuts or alternative tax strategies — notably “flat” plans with the richest paying the same level of income tax as the poor — legislative concern tends to focus on the upper ends of the income scale. A slew of tax-related bills await hearings in House and Senate, most of them based on trickle-down economics.

But Rep. Matthew Willard, D-New Orleans, proposes a small bit of economic justice for essential workers. His House Bill 162 would double the existing state supplement to the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. As written, it would be costly, starting at about $67 million a year.

Where would that money go? To rewarding work, as does the federal EITC, especially if the families dependent on the smallest paychecks will still be scrimping and saving most of the time.

“Tax policy is about priorities. Who do you prioritize?” asked Jan Moller of the Louisiana Budget Project. “We need to prioritize working families with low incomes.”

A good question, and a good answer. The number in Willard’s bill is obviously subject to negotiation, but the principle of giving struggling Louisianans a break should be incontestable in the marble halls of government.