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From: arnold@ucbvax.ARPA (Kenneth C R C Arnold)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion
Subject: Tuition tax credits
Message-ID: <10435@ucbvax.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 31-Dec-69 18:59:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.10435
Posted: Wed Dec 31 18:59:59 1969
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Sep-85 03:46:13 EDT
References: <1072@ulysses.UUCP> <607@hou2g.UUCP> <5847@cbscc.UUCP> <673@utastro.UUCP> <5878@cbscc.UUCP> <10395@ucbvax.ARPA> <5914@cbscc.UUCP>
Reply-To: arnold@ucbvax.UUCP (Kenneth C R C Arnold)
Organization: University of California at Berkeley
Lines: 44
Keywords: Taxes
Xref: watmath net.politics:11091 net.religion:7707

>> = me
> = Paul Dubuc

>>I think that
>>society at large gets real, substantial benefits from a generally
>>educated citizenry.  Public school taxes make this benefit possible,
>>and thus are payed for the same reason you pay other taxes -- because
>>society at large, and thus you, (allegedly) benefit from the service,
>>and it could not be efficiently or properly provided any other way.
>>The fact that someone might have children they choose to educate some
>>other way is just as irrelevant to this as someone who has no
>>children.
>
>No, I don't think it is just as irrelevant.  Parents who have children
>ought to have a choice as to how they are educated.  They are compelled
>to get them educated somewhere.  Why should the tax system be set up
>so as to make it so difficult to choose against the public schools?

Let me propose an analgoy.  As all analogies, it is not precise, but
might serve to make my world view clearer.

You and I are taxed to provide medical care for the poor.  Whether or
not any relative of yours is poor, you pay the tax (unless, of course,
you are poor yourelf).  Why?  Well, you benefit from having a healthier
population in many substantial ways.  Now, I guess this makes it harder
for you to pick the kind of medical care you like, since you have less
money since you pay the tax.  But you still get the benefits from the
overall increased health.

You have a choice as to how your children are educated.  The more money
you have, the greater your choice, in this as in most other areas.  But
any money not given to schools because of reduced tax revenues due to
tuition tax credits simply reduces the benefits that society gets from
a generally educated population.  As a member of this society, that
hurts you.  The benefits you get from the education base have nothing
to do with whether or not you have children, so your responisibility to
support them should not vary either (except, stating the obvious, as it
affects your ability to pay taxes -- I'm a staunch supporter of
progressive taxation).

I hope this makes my viewpoint clearer.  Any considered comments would
be welcome.

		Ken Arnold


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