During his rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden last night, former president Donald Trump said he was announcing a new policy – that he would support “a tax credit for family caregivers who take care of a parent or a loved one”.
No further details were provided, but Trump said “it’s about time that they were recognised” and “they add so much to our country and are never spoken of”.
The idea is mentioned in the Republican Party’s official election policy platform – released in July – under the heading of protecting care at home for the elderly. It says the party would “support unpaid family caregivers through tax credits and reduced red tape”.
Tax credits – reductions to income tax – can take different forms in the US, and it’s not clear what exactly Trump or his party have in mind.
The proposal makes up part of a wider set of tax reductions and cuts his campaign has proposed, including no tax on tips, overtime or social security benefits for seniors.
In recent weeks, Trump’s opponent, Kamala Harris, has been laying out her own plans to help the “sandwich generation” – adults caring for aging parents while raising children – and the “care economy”, including a proposal to expand healthcare benefits to cover at-home senior care.
