Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders was not impressed with front-runner Hillary Clinton's proposal for a tax credit for people who care for an elderly parent or other family member, and a top aide of the Vermont senator's campaign dubbed the idea "Republican-lite."

Michael Briggs, who serves as Sanders' communications director, further suggested that the former secretary of state's approach was too timid, The Washington Post reported.

"Given the disappearing middle class and massive income wealth inequality in America today, we clearly have to go a lot further than what Secretary Clinton proposes," Briggs said in a statement.

The tax credit, which Clinton presented on Sunday, would offset up to $6,000 in costs associated with caring for elderly and disabled family members, Reuters detailed. It would also allow caregivers to accrue Social Security retirement benefits for their efforts.

"That will help family budgets stretch, it will help seniors maintain independence," Clinton noted.

The former New York senator's proposal is the latest in a series of tax credits Clinton promised she would implement if Americans choose her to succeed President Barack Obama in the White House come 2017. She previously announced a tax credit of $2,500 for an individual or $5,000 for a family to cover high healthcare costs, as well as another credit that would cover certain college expenses.

The Democratic front-runner has also criticized Sanders over his plans to raise taxes on the middle class, which were part of the national single-payer health care bills the socialist senator introduced in Congress, Politico recalled.

Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon insisted that the legislation the Vermont lawmaker sponsored two years ago would require workers to pay for his $18 to $20 trillion agenda.

"Bernie Sanders has called for a roughly 9-percent tax hike on middle-class families just to cover his health-care plan," Fallon said. " If you are truly concerned about raising incomes for middle-class families, the last thing you should do is cut their take-home pay right off the bat by raising their taxes."