Child Tax Credit Payments Totaling $15 Billion Arrive for Millions of Americans - WSJ

“We are trusting these families. We provide the dollars,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio).

“Just so we’re clear, Senator, we provide the dollars.” - Every Taxpayer

But loading benefits into the tax code typically means distributing them through the annual tax refund. Many households use those refunds to make major purchases or pay off debt, and families often plan their budgets around them.

And boy will that suprise smaller refund, or in many cases a tax bill, take the shine off of these fake gifts.

“The hope would be that there would be less need to have so much debt over the course of the year.”

Hope is nice. The more likely scenario is that these dollars will go to an increase in consumption.