Comments on: Showdown on Taxing Higher Education in Pittsburgh http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/12/16/showdown-on-taxing-higher-education-in-pittsburgh/ The source on how we live, work and play Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:10:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Joshua Vincent http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/12/16/showdown-on-taxing-higher-education-in-pittsburgh/comment-page-1/#comment-15878 Joshua Vincent Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:59:42 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/?p=13642#comment-15878 A tuition tax didn't really make much sense, after all, many students are poor to start off with, it seems like a poll tax more than anything else, so good riddance. I was intrigued by Councilman Burgess's idea of a tax on land values for not-for-profits. The idea is that the city - the community created those land values and has every right to them, but the buildings and program ons top of the land do serve a public use, and should be left alone. Before Pittsburgh became broke, it used a land value tax, and it ought to go back to the future on that one. A tuition tax didn’t really make much sense, after all, many students are poor to start off with, it seems like a poll tax more than anything else, so good riddance.

I was intrigued by Councilman Burgess’s idea of a tax on land values for not-for-profits. The idea is that the city – the community created those land values and has every right to them, but the buildings and program ons top of the land do serve a public use, and should be left alone.

Before Pittsburgh became broke, it used a land value tax, and it ought to go back to the future on that one.

]]> By: Campus Entrepreneurship http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/12/16/showdown-on-taxing-higher-education-in-pittsburgh/comment-page-1/#comment-15714 Campus Entrepreneurship Fri, 25 Dec 2009 21:07:06 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/?p=13642#comment-15714 Sean.. thanks for posting. I heard the news about Pittsburgh; talk about back room dealing? No details, no official agreement. I appreciate the Ohio news and their attempt to protect higher edu. Happy holidays to you and yours. All the best for 2010. Sean.. thanks for posting. I heard the news about Pittsburgh; talk about back room dealing? No details, no official agreement. I appreciate the Ohio news and their attempt to protect higher edu.

Happy holidays to you and yours. All the best for 2010.

]]> By: Sean Creighton http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/12/16/showdown-on-taxing-higher-education-in-pittsburgh/comment-page-1/#comment-15655 Sean Creighton Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:26:53 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/?p=13642#comment-15655 Looks like some alternative deal was struck in Pitt - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/education/22pittsburgh.html?hpw A deal was struck in Ohio as well so no cuts to education for now - http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/12/22/strickland-signs-budget.html?sid=101 Happy Holidays! Looks like some alternative deal was struck in Pitt – http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/education/22pittsburgh.html?hpw

A deal was struck in Ohio as well so no cuts to education for now – http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/12/22/strickland-signs-budget.html?sid=101

Happy Holidays!

]]> By: Campus Entrepreneurship http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/12/16/showdown-on-taxing-higher-education-in-pittsburgh/comment-page-1/#comment-15588 Campus Entrepreneurship Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:00:40 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/?p=13642#comment-15588 Great comments, good points, and implications that are hopefully part of the debate and will shut this insanity down. UPDATE: The vote has been punted until next week. The mayor hopes he can get the schools to make a commitment to 'voluntary' payments to the city. see article link. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09350/1021263-100.stm Apparently the minimum "pledge" that the mayor will accept to kill the tax is an aggregate of $5 MILLION per year! Political black mail of higher ed -- the audacity and short sided nature of this is pretty amazing. Great comments, good points, and implications that are hopefully part of the debate and will shut this insanity down.

UPDATE: The vote has been punted until next week. The mayor hopes he can get the schools to make a commitment to ‘voluntary’ payments to the city. see article link.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09350/1021263-100.stm

Apparently the minimum “pledge” that the mayor will accept to kill the tax is an aggregate of $5 MILLION per year!

Political black mail of higher ed — the audacity and short sided nature of this is pretty amazing.

]]> By: Manny http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/12/16/showdown-on-taxing-higher-education-in-pittsburgh/comment-page-1/#comment-15587 Manny Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:30:42 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/?p=13642#comment-15587 Pittsburgh's main hope for the future, innovations and jobs is CMU and Pitt. The mayor can do this becuase the students don't vote. If he is going to tax he should allow each student at these schools to vote. That would be around 50,000 votes just at CMU and Pitt. The mayor is a fool and this is no way to fund a pension. The kids will just do what Richard did - leave. Pittsburgh’s main hope for the future, innovations and jobs is CMU and Pitt. The mayor can do this becuase the students don’t vote. If he is going to tax he should allow each student at these schools to vote. That would be around 50,000 votes just at CMU and Pitt.

The mayor is a fool and this is no way to fund a pension.

The kids will just do what Richard did – leave.

]]> By: Sean Creighton http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/12/16/showdown-on-taxing-higher-education-in-pittsburgh/comment-page-1/#comment-15586 Sean Creighton Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:28:43 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/?p=13642#comment-15586 If the Pitt tax passes, I wonder if other cities will follow suit. In Ohio, partisan politics may lead to a $309 million cut to higher education if an agreement is not reached by Dec 31. http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/area-colleges-could-face-millions-in-budget-cuts-449170.html?showComments=true&imw=Y While Republican leadership is holding out, not long ago bi-partisan leadership worked diligently to create the University System of Ohio and adopt the "Strategic Plan for Higher Education 2008-2017" because they agreed that higher ed would help shape the future of Ohio. What a dilemma they are creating if they do not come to agreement on what appears to be a no-brainer solution. If the Pitt tax passes, I wonder if other cities will follow suit. In Ohio, partisan politics may lead to a $309 million cut to higher education if an agreement is not reached by Dec 31. http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/area-colleges-could-face-millions-in-budget-cuts-449170.html?showComments=true&imw=Y While Republican leadership is holding out, not long ago bi-partisan leadership worked diligently to create the University System of Ohio and adopt the “Strategic Plan for Higher Education 2008-2017″ because they agreed that higher ed would help shape the future of Ohio. What a dilemma they are creating if they do not come to agreement on what appears to be a no-brainer solution.

]]> By: Nick C http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/12/16/showdown-on-taxing-higher-education-in-pittsburgh/comment-page-1/#comment-15584 Nick C Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:57:02 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/?p=13642#comment-15584 As a recent graduate of Pitt, I can guesstimate that I PERSONALLY have dumped around $50K in tuition, $24K in housing AND at least another $4000 dollars into local businesses in Pittsburgh over the 4 years that I lived there. Almost $80,000 into Pittsburgh that I would have never spent if I didn't go to school there...Talk to a CMU student and those numbers would be double or even triple. Not to mention the ancillary costs of travel, lodging and dining by relatives over the course of 4 years at least 3-4 times a year. I don't see how these students are justified in being taxed after feeding so much into a local economy As a recent graduate of Pitt, I can guesstimate that I PERSONALLY have dumped around $50K in tuition, $24K in housing AND at least another $4000 dollars into local businesses in Pittsburgh over the 4 years that I lived there. Almost $80,000 into Pittsburgh that I would have never spent if I didn’t go to school there…Talk to a CMU student and those numbers would be double or even triple. Not to mention the ancillary costs of travel, lodging and dining by relatives over the course of 4 years at least 3-4 times a year. I don’t see how these students are justified in being taxed after feeding so much into a local economy

]]> By: thelady http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/2009/12/16/showdown-on-taxing-higher-education-in-pittsburgh/comment-page-1/#comment-15583 thelady Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:49:16 +0000 http://www.creativeclass.com/_v3/creative_class/?p=13642#comment-15583 most of these politicians are in bed with the real estate developers and corporate types so they can't raise taxes on them, instead they target higher ed most of these politicians are in bed with the real estate developers and corporate types so they can’t raise taxes on them, instead they target higher ed

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