New Jersey Senator, Cory Booker, has arrived in Iowa, beginning the first leg of his “Justice for All” tour, but has already announced a change of venue for today’s Carroll event. Booker will now be meeting with area residents at 1:30 this afternoon at the Carrollton Inn. Doors will open at 1 p.m. for a “conversation with Cory.” On Monday, Booker spoke in Sioux City and proposed the Rise Credit, the most dramatic expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in our country’s history. Booker told the gathered crowd that Americans are finding more month at the end of their money and that earnings are not keeping pace with the cost of living. “But instead of helping hard-working Americans who are struggling to get by, our tax code concentrates benefits to those at the very top,” says Booker. “It’s unconscionable that hedge fund managers can pay a lower percentage of their income in taxes than their secretaries. That’s wrong and must change.” The Rise Credit, according to Booker, will nearly double income eligibility for credits, will increase the maximum EITC amount by 25 percent, expand eligibility, broaden the age qualifications and make the credit user-friendly through simplified, automatic filings. Booker is expected to address this and the associated expansion of apprenticeship programs and job training as well as capital investment in underserved and vulnerable communities to create job opportunities. Again, Booker will now be speaking at the Carrollton Inn this afternoon, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
