RALEIGH - 900-thousand North Carolinians could soon lose a tax break that's worth up to 400 dollars a year. The earned income tax credit goes to working families in the form of a tax refund.

Karen Spain says she used the credit to catch up on bills,

“So without that income tax credit I would not have been able to keep a roof over my kids head. I would not have been able to make sure they had food, and that is pretty much how I spent my money.”

The earned income tax credit could be reduced this year as part of a tax reform package in the legislature. Advocates for working families say the credit is needed to help people out of poverty.