At a time when America’s housing affordability crisis has reached new heights, our nation should expand and reform current federal spending through the tax code to better serve those with the greatest need. NLIHC supports the expansion and reform of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit to better serve extremely low-income families and the creation of a deeply targeted renters’ tax credit that could make housing affordable for millions of the lowest-income people.

Low Income Housing Tax Credits

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) is the largest national affordable housing program in the U.S. NLIHC works to achieve deeper income targeting within the LIHTC program so that it better contributes to the expansion of affordable housing available to extremely low-income people. Learn more about the LIHTC program here and see NLIHC's top priorities for LIHTC reforms here

Renters Tax Credits

Bold proposals to create refundable renters’ tax credits can help bridge the widening gap between incomes and housing costs by helping families who face impossible choices between paying rent and meeting their other basic needs, including putting groceries on the table and taking care of their health. Learn more about renters’ tax credit proposals here.

Middle Income Housing Tax Credit 

NLIHC strongly opposes the creation of a new "Middle Income Housing Tax Credit" (MIHTC), or any new federal tax credit that would incentivize developers to build and preserve market-rate rental housing affordable to those earning between 60-100% of area median income (AMI). Learn more about why MIHTC would be a wasteful use of scare federal resources here

Attached Documents

The following documents are provided with this article:


For more information on policy recommendations, contact Sarah Saadian, Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Field Organizing, at [email protected].