Examines research on the effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit on poverty, income disparities, and work effort. The research findings indicate the EITC increases work effort substantially among single mothers; moderates the widening of income gaps between the wealthy and the working poor; and is now lifting 4.6 million people in working families out of poverty, including 2.4 million children in the United States. This article is particularly relevant to those interested in background information on the EITC as well as in its effects on disadvantaged groups in the United States.
