Subject: Private School Federal Tax Relief Comment: I would like your inclusion of the following action plan in your recomendations on changes in the Federal Income Tax Code: Develop the following legislation to place the private school system on a level playing field with the public school system. Action: Eliminate the paragraph, in The Federal Income Tax Code, which lists under the section "Contributions from Which You Benefit < which lists > Tuition to Private Schools run by qualified non-profit organizations." The current provision eliminates a tax deduction for these Tuition payments, page 6), The basis for the term "Which You Benefit" states: "If you receive or expect to receive a financial or economic benefit as a result of making a contribution to a qualified organization, you cannot deduct the part of the contribution that represents the value of the benefit you receive." The elimination of the tuition deduction to private non-profit schools is absurd! No parent (and I am a parent of three boys and three girls) sends their children to school in "expectation" of receiving an economic benefit from their child's education. This is not a stock or real estate purchase. The cost of public school education collected through school district taxes are allowed with no mention of any financial benefit to the parents for public school education. On the same basis the cost of private school tuition should also be allowed as a Federal Tax Deduction. If you agree with the above Action Plan I would be delighted to meet with your staff to discuss this action plan. I believe that morality and study habits in adults are formed in elementary and high schools throughout the U.S. However, in the U.S. these values are primarily established in the public (government) school system. A viable private school system which can compete with the 'public' school system on a level playing field would add value to our total educational system, including the 'public' school system. Fred H. Brinkman, P. E. As a little background I have worked with ExxonMobil for 33 years and consulted for 19 years in Oil and Gas Field Management and Evaluation. |