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Mayor's budget plan: Tax the college students

Yipes! What do you think of this?

MSNBC story here

Quote:

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The mayor of Providence wants to slap a $150-per-semester tax on the 25,000 full-time students at Brown University and three other private colleges in the city, saying they use resources and should help ease the burden on struggling taxpayers.

Mayor David Cicilline said the fee would raise between $6 million and $8 million a year for the city, which is facing a $17 million deficit.

If enacted, it would apparently be the first time a U.S. city has directly taxed students just for being enrolled.

The proposal is still in its early stages. But it has riled some students, who say it would unfairly saddle them with the city's financial woes and overlook their volunteer work and other contributions, including money spent in restaurants, bars and stores

I'm sure that those students spend plenty of money in the area and don't forget volunteers and young professionals who stay in town after graduation and other benefits on this city that he is not taking into account. Can I get a "DUH" and a great big "FAIL" on for this guy?

Who does this? Does he really think that kids want to pay any extra fees on top of school? Taxing an education? Wow...

Quote:

Originally Posted by texas*princess (Post 1808994)

Yipes! What do you think of this?

MSNBC story here

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The mayor of Providence wants to slap a $150-per-semester tax on the 25,000 full-time students at Brown University and three other private colleges in the city, saying they use resources and should help ease the burden on struggling taxpayers.

If there are 25,000 full time students then register and vote the mayor out.

That article is kind of misleading. Between Brown, RISD, Providence College, and Johnson and Wales, there are 25,000 students. There aren't 25,000 students at Brown, by golly.

This doesn't bother me at all. I think the schools should be paying the city some sort of premium. I don't know how much J&W is, but the cost of attendance at the other three schools is well over $40K; just about half of all students receive financial assistance. That means you have just about 15,000 students paying full freight; another 10,000 probably pay pretty close to that. An extra $300 a year when students use the water, free city buses, parks, police department (there were some things the PPD could do that the individual college police couldn't), and the roads is merely a drop in the bucket. Plus, since the colleges are tax-exempt anyway (and in the case of Brown and RISD, own land in the most expensive parts of Providence).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munchkin03 (Post 1809173)

First of all, I'm guessing the schools pay for students' on-campus water use. Are the other services you mentioned paid for out of property taxes? Otherwise I don't see why college students - especially those who live off campus and likely already pay for those services through rent - should be singled out.

These college kids also are responsible for helping pay the wages (many high wages) of professors and staff employed by the universities, in addition to the money I'm sure they bring in to countless businesses in the area.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB (Post 1809179)

Exactly. They are already paying for those services. 36k tuition and
10k in room and board. 46k total and Munchkin thinks they are getting free water. :rolleyes:

Colleges pay for utilities and all the other servies and then add it to the student's bill.

I say vote the mayor out and then raise his taxes for the free water, free buses, free parks, and free police.

Quote:

Originally Posted by madmax (Post 1809201)

Exactly. They are already paying for those services. 36k tuition and
10k in room and board. 46k total and Munchkin thinks they are getting free water. :rolleyes:

I don't quite think that's what Munchkin was saying - plus, since she actually went to one of the schools involved, she probably knows the situation better than most people on the board.

This sounds to be unconstitutional based on the same grounds as the proposed 91% bonus tax on organizations that received tarp funds, Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution. Any tax that discriminates against a certain demographic sets a dangerous precedent and should be shot down immediately to save years in court cases and millions in tax payer dollars on legal fees. Also, I think the mayor is overlooking the fact that having 7 university campuses in the city is directly responsible for a portion of the economic and cultural development it has experienced. The number of college students is closer to 44,000 or 25% of the city rather than the 25,000 you all have mentioned. It should also be noted that brown university is the second largest employer in the city.

This is so stupid.....without the business of college students, I am sure business in the campus areas would suffer.

Whoever thought higher taxes during a recession needs some new thoughts....