The people who qualify for this tax credit are not the poorest of the poor. They are nurses, bank tellers, clerks, child-care workers, graduate teaching assistants and messengers. They are hard-working people who are out there every day earning a living and they deserve our help in obtaining money that they have earned.
People can apply for the credit for last year and retroactively for the three previous years.
The Mayor said people often are unaware of the credit, don't know how to apply or are intimidated by the tax return form. The program will be publicized on Dominick's grocery bags, ComEd bill inserts and cards on CTA buses and trains, and through advertising on radio, television, newspapers and direct mail. The City, its sister agencies and many private employers will publicize the program on paycheck stubs. The Chicago Public Schools will include information about the tax credit with more than 400,000 student report cards. All 79 Chicago public libraries will have information prominently displayed.