The heads of every public college and university in Idaho have sent a letter to the state’s legislative delegation in Washington D.C. The educators are united in their opposition to the tax bill being hashed out by congressional Republicans.
The president of each public university and college, along with the executive director of the Idaho State Board of Education, all signed the letter to the D.C. delegation.
IdahoEd News reports the letter outlines five points the education experts say would harm students and damage the institutions of higher learning.
The group writes getting rid of the student loan interest deduction along with the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning Tax Credits would make education less affordable and accessible to state residents.
Another point of contention is the proposal to count waived tuition fees as income. The group calls it counterintuitive, punitive and say the measure could discourage people from pursuing graduate degrees.
The proposed tax bill would also seek to increase the standard deduction. Those who signed the letter say upping the deduction would reduce the number of people who itemize charitable donations. In turn, they say that would hurt giving to nonprofit institutions like public schools.
All of Idaho’s Republican lawmakers in Washington D.C. have supported the GOP tax plan.
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