Expensive cuts

Tax breaks are expensive for higher education

The notion of reduced taxes always garners popularity. But everyone must consider the results of tax cuts: some vital government programs receive less-than-adequate funding. Last Thursday, the U.S. House heard a proposal that could cut work-study funding at universities nationwide by about 6 percent. The end product of this tax cut does not justify the means. Cutbacks in education spending would hurt numerous students, university-run programs and grant-funds.

If the proposed bill becomes law, colleges and universities would see immediate changes in their student bodies. For many students, the gates of higher education would shut. The proposal could damage ethnic diversity, as many of the brightest minority students in the country rely on financial aid. Students preparing for life after college should not lose the crucial experience of interacting with people from all backgrounds - both ethnically and financially.

Under the proposed bill, about 62,000 students would not receive the necessary aid to send them to college. This means that these students would have to receive scholarship money through their universities or another scholarship fund, or they would have to seek grants. But Pell Grants, the largest federally funded grant program for individual students, also stand to take a tax cut of $ 2.37 billion. To cover for less students receiving money, the maximum grant has been raised by $150. While this may help some students, this could also result in money being overly distributed to students who don't need the money as much as others. Overall, financial aid programs, the basis enabling underprivileged students to attend universities and colleges nationwide would lose up to $99 million.

In addition to cuts in financial aid, the bill proposes cuts of up to $140 million allocated to higher education. In response, colleges and universities may need to substantially decreasing programs. This financial uncertainty unnerves administrators attempting to plan a budget on a year-to-year basis.

Congress likely will not finalize budget bills for another two or three months. During the additional time these proposed cuts to higher education should undergo significant revision. The Appropriations Committee needs to recognize the ever-increasing costs of higher education. Regardless of people's desire for tax cuts, the nation's representatives must respect the needs for funding for higher education.

Many national leaders and ordinary citizens bemoan the state of education, but then choose not to pay to improve the educational system. Before the federal government and the American people get excited about tax-cuts, they should realize everyone pays in other ways. The motives behind many of these cuts looked to take it easy on the upper-class. But in doing this, we harm many learning institutions and deserving students that need generous funding to provide and receive quality higher education.

09-28-99