US: This Is the Difference Between a Family Surviving and a Family Sinking (Opinion) (Requires subscription)
New York Times – February 18, 2022
Last summer the vast majority of American families with children saw money appear in their bank accounts without doing anything at all. Thanks to legislation passed by Democrats earlier in the year, an expanded Child Tax Credit automatically sent out $300 each month through the rest of the year for every child under 6 and $250 for older ones to people who regularly file taxes. It showcased what government can do when it works at its most efficient: seamlessly deliver meaningful benefits without requiring people to take much, or really any, action. But for the roughly 2.3 million children whose families hadn’t recently filed income taxes, the Child Tax Credit showcased all the worst instincts of governmental bureaucracy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/opinion/sunday/child-tax-credit-poverty-benefits.html?searchResultPosition=1