by Ty Tagami | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – The Georgia Senate unanimously backed a bill Wednesday that would give parents of young children a bigger tax break.
The goal of Senate Bill 89 is to help more parents stay in the workforce, said the chief sponsor, Sen. Brian Strickland, R-McDonough.
Child-care centers charge $11,000 a year on average to watch infants, he said. The cost has been rising and is forcing some parents to quit jobs because it makes more financial sense to stay home with their children, said Strickland, who has two young children.
“It’s more expensive to have a kid than to pay for college,” Strickland said. “Families shouldn’t have to choose between having a career and being a parent.”
Only one of Strickland’s kids, ages 5 and 7, would qualify for the tax credit, which would apply only to children ages 6 and under.
The legislation would increase by a third a state tax credit that is indexed to the federal child and dependent care tax credit.
It also would give a break to child-care facilities, increasing a tax credit against operating costs to 90% from the current 75%.
SB 89 passed 49-0 and heads to the state House of Representatives.
