United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office General Government Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1995-04-04 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:T-GGD-95-136 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-95-136 P0b002ee180391e55 f:tgg95136 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-95-136 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-95-136 T-GGD-95-136 Tax credit Illegal aliens Eligibility criteria Disadvantaged persons Income maintenance programs Fraud Noncompliance Tax administration Income taxes Erroneous payments Earned Income Tax Credit Tax Compliance Act of 1995 Testimony GGD The earned income credit, which is expected to provide about $22 billion in tax credits in 1995, is a major federal effort to assist the working poor. The credit is intended to offset the impact of Social Security taxes on low-income workers and to encourage the poor to seek employment rather than welfare. GAO testified that a reliable overall measurement of noncompliance with the earned income credit provisions has not been made since 1988, but noncompliance appears to be a problem. The Internal Revenue Service estimates that 29 percent of the returns that it examined in January 1994 claimed too much earned income credit and that about 13 percent of them may have done so intentionally. Although the credit is intended to help the working poor, the credit's eligibility criteria do not consider all of the resources that recipients may have to support themselves and their families. No one knows how many illegal aliens receive the earned income credit. If the all credit recipients needed valid Social Security numbers for work purposes, illegal aliens would no longer qualify. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-95-136/html/GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-95-136.htm GAO/T-GGD-95-136 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-GGD-95-136 Testimony GAO/T-GGD-95-136; Earned Income Credit: Targeting to the Working Poor; Tax credit Illegal aliens Eligibility criteria Disadvantaged persons Income maintenance programs Fraud Noncompliance Tax administration Income taxes Erroneous payments Earned Income Tax Credit Tax Compliance Act of 1995