Panelists:
• Melissa Koide, policy director, Center for Financial Services Innovation
• Eugene Steuerle, Institute fellow, Urban Institute; former deputy assistant secretary of the treasury for tax analysis (moderator)
• Brett Theodos, research associate, Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center, Urban Institute
• Robert Weinberger, senior fellow, Aspen Institute Initiative on Financial Security; former vice president for government relations, H&R Block
• Chi Chi Wu, staff attorney, National Consumer Law Center
Nearly 20 million tax filers—many of whom count themselves among the working poor—are expected to use a refund anticipation loan (RAL) or refund anticipation check (RAC) this tax season, racking up more than $1.5 billion in short-term credit fees. Some will turn to these devices because they need money fast to pay bills, especially just after the holidays; others need part of the expected tax refund to pay for tax preparation.
What does new research from the Urban Institute say about who needs credit at tax time and why? What role should public policy play in shaping tax-time credit products? Why and how does the tax-preparation industry provide RACs and RALs? And can new financial products provide low-income families better access to credit before Tax Day?
Resources:
- Bios
- Chi Chi Wu: End of the Rapid Rip-Off: An Epilogue for Quickie Tax Loans
At the Urban Institute
2100 M Street N.W., 5th Floor, Washington, D.C.
Lunch will be provided at 11:45 a.m. The forum begins promptly at noon.
A video recording will be archived after the event at
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/urban-institute-events.
Latest Research
