Money for public colleges or tax cuts for businesses? What are the good arguments for reducing this tax?

The state has been working to phase out this tax over a number of years. But this big a cut isn't needed in one year. It is an extremely complicated tax to calculate. Many corporations use state tax credits to avoid it, such as by investing in areas with urban blight. The business community feels it is double taxation because many (but not most) corporations also pay a corporate net income tax to the state.

Lots of land to sell to the hightest bidder; money to be made and land to be raped.

http://therationalfringe.blogspot.com/2012/02/apscuf-responds-to-gov-corbetts.html

"1. Share the above link with your friends and colleagues, either by forwarding via email or sharing on social media (you can use the buttons at the bottom of this post). We need to get the word out as quickly as possible to as many members, students and alumni as possible.

2. Encourage your students to get involved in the following ways:

Liking the PA Students Voice Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pastudentsvoice, or
Following the PA Students Voice Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/pastudentsvoice.

3. Register for our budget mobilization webinar, which will be held next Wednesday at 2 p.m. The APSCUF government relations team will be sharing our strategy to combat the governor’s plan and talking about best practices in reaching out to legislators. It’s limited to the first 100 registrants, so hurry and sign up today!

4. Sign up to participate in the APSCUF Lobby Day events on March 26 and 27. On Monday evening, we will have a reception in Harrisburg at Ceoltas Irish Pub from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. On Tuesday, we will be meeting with elected officials at the state Capitol. Please fill out the following form by March 9 if you plan to attend APSCUF Lobby Day in Harrisburg. "

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http://educationviews.org/2012/02/08/higher-education-proposal-termed-nations-most-onerous/


"In what one national group called the most severe public university cuts proposed anywhere in the nation this year, the 14 state-owned universities belonging to the State System of Higher Education would see a 20 percent reduction, while three state-related schools — the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State and Temple universities — would absorb an even bigger cut of 30 percent.

Daniel Hurley, an official with the Washington D.C.-based American Association of State Colleges and Universities, said the governor in fact will drive up those prices if his cuts are enacted. They come on top of last year’s cuts of nearly 20 percent and are happening as other states work despite the bad economy to keep higher education funding flat or to low single-digit reductions, he said.

“It’s astonishing to see the governor put forth a supposedly pro-economic development budget proposal which simultaneously seeks to suffocate the state’s economic engines, which are the state’s universities,” said Mr. Hurley, director of state relations and policy analysis."

http://broadandpennsylvania.blogspot.com/2012/02/tom-corbetts-destruction-of-education.html

Corbett last year said he would like to eliminate all state funding for public colleges, and instead just provide grants to individual low-income students to attend any college. However, he even cut and froze a portion of those grants.

If the students can't afford to go to school in PA, they'll choose other states. Virginia, for instance, has excellent schools.

Students will be taking their business to surrounding states--those states will reap the benefits--Pennsylvania will have to deal with the loss of jobs.

Will the students come back to Pennsylvania to work? Hell no, why would they?

Tom Corbett is the biggest idiot I've ever seen. He is destroying our state in every possible way.

The negative vibes he imposes on our lives is quite disturbing.

Corbett today answered some questions on his budget, which was broadcast on PCN.

1. He kept saying that he taught in a school for a year. (He then left to go to a 4th tier law school along the Mexican border).

2. He justified the cuts to Penn State by complaining that it costs $93,000 to earn a Penn State degree. He said Penn State needs to decide whether it is a public or private university. (Is he encouraging Penn State to go private, and charge much more tuition to Pennsylvania residents???)

3. He didn't mention that he also is cutting community colleges, which provide the most affordable tuition and serve large numbers of low income students and displaced workers in need of retraining.

4. He justified the cuts to the universities by saying that truck drivers make more than school teachers.

5. He justified the cuts to the universities by saying that there are not enough teaching jobs for all of the people who graduate from public and private colleges in PA. with teaching degrees. (Actually this is an economic anchor for PA. - many out of state students come to college in PA because we have so many good universities and so many places for education and nursing students compared to neighboring states. If the quality of PA. public colleges deteriorate, we will not attract these thousands of out of state students. These out of state students pay much higher tuition to public colleges, and effectively subsidize in-state tuition. Governor Christie has a major initiative to convince more New Jersey students to attend college in New Jersey instead of leaving for PA. colleges).

6. He kept repeating that he refused to increase taxes. He didn't mention that his budget includes a $247 million business tax reduction that approximately equal to the $257 million he wants to cut from public colleges. He also didn't mention other ways of raising revenue, such as closing the Delaware loophole that allows large corporations to avoid paying their fair share of PA. taxes by funneling profits to subsidiaries in the state of Delaware. Many other states have closed that loophole.

http://www.pa2012.com/2011/03/corbett%E2%80%99s-budget-axe-hits-passhe-hard-yet-again/

Good piece on Corbett's cuts to college funding. The link notes that $200 million has already been cut from the budgets of state-owned universities to minimize tuition increases in the face of declining state support. that has led to the elimination of hundreds of employees in the State-owned universities and hundreds of employees at Penn State, as wells as hundreds of courses and many majors.

to act:

http://www.pastudentsvoice.org/


Excerpts:

"... Corbett’s proposed cuts appear to be the largest higher education cuts in the nation this year. Ummm…... We’re number one, I guess.

"According to the Pa SSHE, the proposed funding level for this year is $2.5 million less than the appropriations in 1983-1984, the first year of the system’s existence"

(Actually, once you factor in inflation, the proposed state funding is a fraction of what was provided 30 years ago).

"...Is Corbett really planning to privatize the state-owned schools?

If he does, how will students from poor and middle class families afford a decent education?

How many students will drop out of school or decide to enroll elsewhere if tuition jumps dramatically? Will such a drop in enrollment force tuition even higher?"

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In an interview, Corbett said "When it comes to higher education ... the dollars should follow the student."

His intent is to phase out all state funding to state universities, and instead to simply rely upon need based grants that can be used at private or public colleges. However, he is also cutting those grants to needy students.

my daughter works three part time jobs just so she doesn't have to have loans to pay for her education. And you what her degree is going to be in, yeah you guessed it, elementary education.

So now this fucking asshat is basically telling my daughter to go get a loan to pay for her tuition and end up having to pay interest on that loan over the next 10 years of her life just because you got some kind of hard on for education.

His first choice was Pitt, but he can no longer afford it.

Will he come back to Pennsylvania once he is an M.D.? I doubt it.

The same will hold true for engineers, computer scientists, teachers, MBA's, attorneys.

Our best and brightest will be leaving Pennsylvania in droves. Corbett is chasing away students and jobs, in addition to causing a "brain drain."

Congratulations, Governor Corbett, on your continued ruination of Pennsylvania. Tom, why does the whole commonwealth have to suffer just because you weren't good enough to cut it at our best universities?

In July, unless congress acts, all new undergrad federally subsidized stafford loans will double in the interest rate - to 6.8%.

After July, federal subsidies of loans will no longer be available for graduate and professional school students. As a result, the interest will start to accumulate almost immediately. Currently, the federal government pays the interest for the first $X of loans while a student in in school.

I hope that my daughter will be able to remain sane enough to continue living with her mom until she gets her degree. That, with any luck, would be enough to keep her from having to go the loan route.

http://pennbpc.org/sites/pennbpc.org/files/Close-Corporate-Tax-Loopholes.pdf

The link is good analysis of ways that PA. could raise large amounts of revenue without a tax increase by closing corporae tax loopholes.
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The following analysis was completed last year but is still mostly true. It lists over a billion dollar of loopholes and tax breaks that could be removed. We really need to think of tax credits and tax breaks as an EXPENDITURE.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iauQ7QG_dHc/TaryeQBIjxI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/G2uksj3M3fM/s1600/Picture+15.png

http://www.phlmetropolis.com/2012/02/lizzie-borden-took-an-axe.php

"By cutting state aid, you guarantee it will be less affordable because the schools will have to increase tuition to partly make up for the loss. That's what they did last year. That's what they'll do this year. The result will be a greater burden on parents, if they foot the bill pay, and on students in the form of higher student loans.

Corbett quoting President Obama is perverse.

As the President has noted, one of the reasons tuition has gone up at state-supported schools in this country is because state governments have been cutting their subsidies to these schools. Obama has called the state's to maintain their level of funding for higher ed. -- not cut it by 20 to 30 percent."

According to a 2010 report by the State High Education Education Executive Officers association, Pennsylvania ranked 40th in the nation in aid to colleges and universities, The SHEEO study put state aid at $5,159 per student, which is 20 percent lower than the national average."
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Another source noted that zoos are proposed to lose all of their funding, after years of severe cuts. The line item for public TV and radio has been removed - it no longer shows zero - there is no line item.

By the way, Corbett today did find $2 million today to pay for the Arlen Specter Library, to hold his papers. He also found $100 million last month to buy an office building for the state.

Corbett is playing deceitful games with his percentages for state universities, as reported today in the Inquirer. He compares state funding to the total spending of all aspects of a university, including self-supporting activities such as residence halls, dining halls and athletics.

The important number is the percentage of state funding compared to the ACADEMIC budget. Even more accurately, the state funding should be compared to the academic budget for in-state students. The out of state students pay full price and are not subsidized by PA.

Unfortunately, most reporters operate as the Harrisburg Steno pool, and just print whatever the Governor says, without an investigation.