In 1986, a policy decision was made to exempt poor people from the income tax. Increases in the earned income tax credit (EITC) and the introduction of the child tax credit (CTC) have increased the so-called "tax entry threshold" since 1986, and provisions in the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA) would continue that trend through 2010. The CTC is scheduled to increase in stages to $1,000 over the next decade, and EGTRRA created a new lower tax rate for low-income families. The EITC will also increase gradually for many married couples.