19 09 2016

Trump to Reveal Childcare Tax Break Plan

In an encore to her Republican convention speech, Ivanka Trump will help unveil her father’s plan. Ivanka Trump is returning to the campaign trail on behalf of her father Tuesday, joining the Republican presidential nominee in the Philadelphia suburbs to roll out his proposed childcare tax break.

Donald Trump's proposed plan would change the U.S. tax code so parents can claim deductions on their taxes for the care of up to four children and elderly dependents. The tax break would apply to individuals earning up to $250,000, or $500,000 for couples filing jointly.

The re-emergency of Ivanka Trump as the messenger for the woman- and family-friendly issue comes as her father has struggled to win over women overall, but particularly suburban white women who have typically leaned Republican in past presidential elections.

On a conference call with reporters, Ivanka Trump described herself as "very passionate" about the proposal she would be championing Tuesday, and about which she has been vocal throughout the campaign.

At the Republican National Convention in July, Ivanka Trump earned rave reviews for her speech introducing her father, in which she touted his record of employing women at the highest levels of his companies, paying them equal to men and supporting them when they become mothers. She also raised eyebrows for her argument to eliminate the wage gap – a priority often cited by Democrats, not Republicans – which her father has not made a tenet of his campaign.

But the GOP nominee has struggled to sway women, even as the overall race against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has tightened. His path to collecting enough electoral votes to win the White House runs squarely through Pennsylvania – he trails Clinton there by an average of more than six points – and without running the table in the Keystone State and other Midwest swing states, his path to the presidency is vanishingly small.

When Trump first proposed his plan for a child care tax credit in early August, it was met with criticism from both the right and the left.

On both sides, the proposal was criticized for doing little to help poorer families who already pay almost no taxes, instead benefiting Americans in higher income brackets. And conservatives also complained that the plan seemed to ignore stay-at-home caregivers who provide rather than pay for their own childcare.

In response to criticism, the campaign said it was considering allowing stay-at-home caregivers to claim the deduction as well.