Jem looks out for Scout andâokay, we'll say itâkind of bosses her around. He definitely tries to get her to do what he, in his superior knowledge from being four years older, knows she should do. Asserting Scout's inferiority, as younger and a girl, appears to be one way that Jem boosts his own ego. The Boo Radley play-acting game starts out as one of these ego-boosts. I know what we are going to play, he announced.
You get the full $1,000 credit no matter when during the year the child was born. Unlike a deduction that reduces the amount of income the government gets to tax, a credit reduces your tax bill dollar for dollar. So, the $1,000 child credit will reduce your tax bill by $1,000.
Unlike tax deductions or exemptions, which help reduce the amount of income that is taxable, tax credits reduce the actual amount of tax you owe to the government, dollar-for-dollar. Claiming a tax credit is like putting money back in your pocket, and for single parents, this can make a real difference to the bottom line. After all, it costs a single parent nearly $165,000 to raise a child from birth to age 18 [source: USDA]. Claiming federal tax credits, whether they are designed to promote specific behaviors or ease the financial burden of raising a family, can pay off. Single parents, it is time to get the credit you're due.