Here is a Grand Idea out of Pittsburgh: Tax College Students
December 15, 2009 | Todd G.
They should rename their team the Pittsburgh Stealers.
This is getting ridiculous. The government continues to believe that your money is their money and they can take it however and whenever they want. Their excuse? Oh, well, you use public services. Really? How many public services do you really use as a college student? You’re already paying for university services, now you’re going to get hit up for the city as well?
The Wall Street Journal has the story that has many students furious. Talk about taxation without representation. You can be taxed even though you have no voting rights in the state of Pennsylvania. This is just par for the course it seems in today’s world of government excess gone wild.
This local government is finding itself in deep because of huge pensions for city workers and now they feel like they can just continue to tax, tax, tax to fund their obscene spending sprees. I think we can assume these big pensions are a result of deals with unions that secured many votes for the council members and mayor. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that – unions have the right to lobby and get the best deal for themselves, good for them – but why should college students be punished for it?
They’re calling it the “Post Secondary Education Privilege Tax” or “Fair Share Tax” and I love that whenever government wants to take more of your money they equate it to being a “fair share” or a “privilege.” This is not a fair share, it’s a rip-off that further punishes kids who are already dealing with huge tuition increases. Are we to believe that students are the ones to blame for the council’s inability to control city worker pensions? And to say they are liable because they use city services is insane. Students don’t necessarily live there year-round, plus the universities already contribute to the local government. Colleges also have their own police force, janitorial staff, etc. and those are being paid for by students.
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is now threatening to push the tax through if universities in the area don’t pay the government $5 million annually. This is extortion, plain and simple. Pay me $5 million or I’m going to tax you? How is this even legal? So what gives, Pittsburgh? If you’re looking to attend a school in that area, I think you should seriously reconsider your options.
