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The mayor of Pittsburgh calls it the Fair Share Tax. But to officials at the citys 10 colleges and universities and many of their 100,000 students, it is anything but. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said the universities rejected his request to pay $5 million a year to the city, and that he had no other option.
On Wednesday, the City Council is expected to give preliminary approval to Mayor Luke Ravenstahls proposal for a 1 percent tuition tax on students attending college in Pittsburgh, which he says will raise $16.2 million in annual revenue that is needed to pay pensions for retired city employees. Final Council action will be on Monday.
The tax would be the first of its kind in the nation, and other cities are watching closely as they try to find ways to close their own budget gaps.
In case you thought college tuition bills were getting far too affordable for the average family, the Pittsburgh government has a solution. Let's spread the wealth! THE FAIR SHARE TAX!
The mayor of Pittsburgh calls it the Fair Share Tax. But to officials at the citys 10 colleges and universities and many of their 100,000 students, it is anything but. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said the universities rejected his request to pay $5 million a year to the city, and that he had no other option.
On Wednesday, the City Council is expected to give preliminary approval to Mayor Luke Ravenstahls proposal for a 1 percent tuition tax on students attending college in Pittsburgh, which he says will raise $16.2 million in annual revenue that is needed to pay pensions for retired city employees. Final Council action will be on Monday.
The tax would be the first of its kind in the nation, and other cities are watching closely as they try to find ways to close their own budget gaps.
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I wonder who will pay the tax for the kids who pay nothing.
That's fuckin' bullshit crap!
That's fuckin' bullshit crap!
Yup, and hopefully people are tired of these A'Holes screwing the poor working person into the ground and people start really exercising their power to control their own lives and start tossing these 'Idjuts' out of office.
What's going to happen is that enrollment in Pittsburgh colleges is going to decline.
Are there any colleges in Pittsburgh that are SO enticing that a prospective student would want to pay an extra $400 per year more than for a college elsewhere?
That's fuckin' bullshit crap!
Yup, and hopefully people are tired of these A'Holes screwing the poor working person into the ground and people start really exercising their power to control their own lives and start tossing these 'Idjuts' out of office.
Most college Students are not local residents so have absolutely no say in local politics at all. I would suggest that any college being taxed have their students register to vote in that city and vote those fools out of office.
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said the universities rejected his request to pay $5 million a year to the city, and that he had no other option.
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said the universities rejected his request to pay $5 million a year to the city, and that he had no other option.
Why not cut city public services to the University System to reduce costs by $5 million?
I'm certain that U of Pittsburg students would be happy to walk through unlighted, unpoliced, unplowed streets to get to school rather than pay an extra 1% City Tax. No doubt that intelligent and socially conscious university students would soon organize themselves into carpools, snow-removal work gangs, and security patrols.
What's going to happen is that enrollment in Pittsburgh colleges is going to decline.
Are there any colleges in Pittsburgh that are SO enticing that a prospective student would want to pay an extra $400 per year more than for a college elsewhere?
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said the universities rejected his request to pay $5 million a year to the city, and that he had no other option.
Why not cut city public services to the University System to reduce costs by $5 million?
I'm certain that U of Pittsburg students would be happy to walk through unlighted, unpoliced, unplowed streets to get to school rather than pay an extra 1% City Tax. No doubt that intelligent and socially conscious university students would soon organize themselves into carpools, snow-removal work gangs, and security patrols.
Electricity is a commodity; the schools pay for it.
Have you ever heard of "Campus Police"?
If it is a public street the maintenance is already covered by property tax and university property is generally high end (unless they get a property tax exemption)- unless it is completely on university land, then the university pays for construction and maintenance.
Why not cut city public services to the University System to reduce costs by $5 million?
I'm certain that U of Pittsburg students would be happy to walk through unlighted, unpoliced, unplowed streets to get to school rather than pay an extra 1% City Tax. No doubt that intelligent and socially conscious university students would soon organize themselves into carpools, snow-removal work gangs, and security patrols.
Electricity is a commodity; the schools pay for it.
Have you ever heard of "Campus Police"?
If it is a public street the maintenance is already covered by property tax and university property is generally high end (unless they get a property tax exemption)- unless it is completely on university land, then the university pays for construction and maintenance.
So, you're saying that NO city services in Pittsburg support the University of Pittsburg?
Certainly you're not so opaque.
While the campus has its own police force, and pays for its own electricity and plows its own streets, the CITY pays for all these services in the area surrounding the campus.
Unless all the students live on campus, they utilize city services to get to and from the campus: Busses, streets, street lights, maintainance, police, etc.
Electricity is a commodity; the schools pay for it.
Have you ever heard of "Campus Police"?
If it is a public street the maintenance is already covered by property tax and university property is generally high end (unless they get a property tax exemption)- unless it is completely on university land, then the university pays for construction and maintenance.
So, you're saying that NO city services in Pittsburg support the University of Pittsburg?
Certainly you're not so opaque.
While the campus has its own police force, and pays for its own electricity and plows its own streets, the CITY pays for all these services in the area surrounding the campus.
Unless all the students live on campus, they utilize city services to get to and from the campus: Busses, streets, street lights, maintainance, police, etc.
Of so the city should stop doing their jobs around the campus cause the campus won't knuckle to threats and blackmail? Why exactly should the people paying those taxes in those neighborhoods continue to pay taxes if the city stops services?
Yup, and hopefully people are tired of these A'Holes screwing the poor working person into the ground and people start really exercising their power to control their own lives and start tossing these 'Idjuts' out of office.
Most college Students are not local residents so have absolutely no say in local politics at all. I would suggest that any college being taxed have their students register to vote in that city and vote those fools out of office.
Don't think that would work. If they register to vote locally they would technically be residents and have lower tuition anyway. Besides, these students today think they're entitled to a college education and certainly won't bite the hand that feeds them "freebies." The money would be better spent on lower school education so that the kids are educated enough to get into college in the first place.
Lower education is a right - a must - but higher education should be a privilege that students aspire to achieve.
And unless Pittsburgh has neither property taxes nor sales taxes those students pay taxes already. Rental properties pass the taxes along to the renters, in the form of higher rent, in case you did not know.Unless all the students live on campus, they utilize city services to get to and from the campus: Busses, streets, street lights, maintainance, police, etc.
And unless Pittsburgh has neither property taxes nor sales taxes those students pay taxes already. Rental properties pass the taxes along to the renters, in the form of higher rent, in case you did not know.Unless all the students live on campus, they utilize city services to get to and from the campus: Busses, streets, street lights, maintainance, police, etc.
Every student not living at home with their parents could easily make this a losing proposition by going to a different college. They should shop around for the best return on their money and leave Pittsburgh to the people who live there.
It seems to me the Option of NOT spending money may not have been considered.
It seems to me the Option of NOT spending money may not have been considered.
Oh that option
No of course government administrators never think to reduce spending. After all, if they came up with a surplus they might have to reduce taxes and no one wants that.
Well no one who runs the government.
