Colleges say GOP tax legislation threatens campuses and students
The House version of the Republicans’ tax reform legislation would cause financial hardship for colleges and the students who attend them, while the Senate’s plan would be only slightly less damaging, higher-education officials and advocates said as lawmakers moved toward drafting a final bill.
The House bill “would threaten UC’s ability to carry out its research, education, health care and public service missions,” University of California President Janet Napolitano told the state’s congressional delegation of 41 Democrats and 14 Republicans in a recent letter. No Democrats have voted for either version.
Graduate students, including hundreds from UC Berkeley, rallied on campuses nationwide on Wednesday to protest a House proposal to tax tuition waivers. Those include price breaks that universities often grant to attract doctoral students, mainly in the sciences, allowing them to pursue research while working as teaching or lab assistants. Also taxed would be the deep tuition discounts that go to the children of many university employees.
More information: http://www.sfchronicle.com/education/article/Colleges-say-GOP-tax-legislation-threatens-12405399.php