Recent letter writers believe that our North Dakota legislators are dinosaurs because the legislators voted against tax breaks for businesses, which provide day care to their employees as a benefit. Apparently the writers do not think the federal government's subsidy -- provided meals at day care regardless of the parent's income, and tax deduction for day care costs are enough.
In order for a family raising their children at home to get government subsidies, they have to be low income. Imagine that, you can't get the government's help unless you actually need it versus an automatic subsidy and tax break regardless of need by placing your kids in day care.
Why should the government provide blanket subsidies and tax breaks to all people who chose day care regardless of need and not offer a similar tax break to those families who raise their children at home? Many of these families have one income and make sacrifices to live off one income that in many cases is less than two income families who get tax breaks and subsidies for day care.
Any government support or tax breaks should be targeted to those who need assistance regardless if the children are in day care or raised at home. If the people want the government to provide help to those who may not actually need it, an equitable solution would be to eliminate the blanket subsidies and tax breaks for day care costs and replace it with a tax credit for all children (such as those five and younger) regardless if the children are in day care or at home.
Brian Madson
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Fargo
