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Ivanka Trump just proposed a new childcare plan - What do you think?

Last week, Ivanka met with members of the House and Senate to discuss her proposed childcare tax benefit.

Ivanka Trump

As a businesswoman, Ivanka Trump has made a name for herself repping women’s issues like paid maternity leave and support for working women.

Now, the First Daughter is campaigning for a $500 billion child-care plan. Here’s the rundown.

Last week, Ivanka met with members of the House and Senate to discuss her proposed childcare tax benefit, according to Bloomberg.

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The plan involves tax cuts for childcare expenses as part of the tax overhaul President Trump has been pushing—meaning you might be eligible for a deduction for your babysitter or daycare center.

Specifically, it would allow individuals with an income under $250,000 or couples who earn less than $500,000 to deduct all childcare costs from their income taxes.

Lower-income families without tax liability would get an earned income tax credit as an alternative rebate for their childcare expenses, according to Fortune.

If enacted, the tax break could cost a whopping $500 billion dollars over the course of the next decade, Bloomberg reports—a tough sell to Congress.

The plan, which is similar to what the Trump campaign proposed in September, certainly has some upsides.

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Giving families—namely women—economic breaks for childcare is in many ways a big societal win, and could help stimulate economic growth by making it more affordable for mothers to work.

While saying that practically every family with children could see some benefit, Alan Cole, an economist at the conservative non-profit the Tax Foundation, told Bloomberg that the plan would still heavily favor wealthy, dual-parent households.

The problem: "It actually doesn't help make childcare affordable for the vast majority of working families," Sheila Marcado, founder of Care.com, told Bloomberg.

Child care costs like daycare can be as high as $1,472 a month and can consume as much as 33 percent of a family's monthly budget, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

Offering a tax credit after-the-fact still makes these kinds of services unreachable for families below the poverty line.

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The cost breakdown isn’t the only reason the proposed plan is slightly controversial.

Ivanka doesn’t actually have a formal role in the administration, so proposing tax legislation is pretty unusual. According to Bloomberg, she has the support of Dina Powell, a former Goldman Sachs exec and current economic adviser to the President, who is helping to ensure the tax overhaul that includes childcare benefits and paid maternity leave.

Whether Ivanka’s plan will receive support on Capital Hill remains to be seen, but the conversation has officially started.

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