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Senate committee hears broad three-part childcare tax credit package
Summary
Senate Bill 321 would create a refundable child tax credit, a workforce tax credit for childcare workers and an employer-dependent-care tax credit; proponents argued it addresses affordability and workforce shortages while opponents urged caution about tax-credit design and budget transparency.
HELENA, Mont.
A bipartisan package of tax credits aimed at easing child care costs and stabilizing the state's childcare workforce drew wide support in the Senate Taxation Committee on March 27, with employers, early-childhood advocates, pediatricians and chambers of commerce urging passage. Opponents, including certified public accountants and taxpayer groups, urged the Legislature to consider direct grants and to weigh how restoring refundable credits fits in the state's larger tax-simplification work.
Senate Bill 321, sponsored in the hearing by Senator Josh Kasmier (Senate District 13), proposes three major elements: a refundable child tax credit to provide direct family support; a tax credit to raise compensation or otherwise support the childcare workforce; and an employer tax credit to encourage businesses to provide or subsidize child care for employees. Caitlin Jensen of 0 to 5 Montana described the package as "a…
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