Educational Tax Credits Positive Plan for Parents

Ft. Hamilton Station, NY – “Education is a major expense to government and parents as well and parents should be able to receive an educational tax credit in an effort to provide the best education for their children,” stated Conservative Party State Chairman, Michael R. Long. “Many parents are struggling to just make ends meet and cannot afford computer software which would facilitate their child’s education, nor the cost of academic summer camps or the textbooks necessary to aid in their children academic success,” Long continued. “This bill seeks to give parents a tax credit when they purchase the necessary tools to help their children get the best education possible,” said Long.

The Conservative Party issued the following memo urging legislators to pass this bill.

This bill provides qualified taxpayers with dependents attending K-12 or receiving home instruction an annual tax credit of up to maximum of $3500 per family for educational expenses.

Unlike proposed voucher plans, the tax credit is direct to parents and not a direct payment to any school.

The U. S. Supreme Court has interpreted the United State Constitution in a manner consistent with the way in which an Education Tax Credit works. The Education Tax Credit is not an appropriation of specific dollar amounts to specific schools, and as such, it falls well within the limits of what is permissible under the State’s “Blaine Amendment”.

The proposal is geared to those who need it most; if a family has an adjusted gross income over $149,000 they would not be eligible for the Education Tax Credit, the credit is determined by a sliding scale, those who have an adjusted gross income of less than $40,000 would be eligible for the full maximum amount of $3500 per family. The tax credit could be used to tutoring, books or even a computer, if that is what is needed to provide children with the best possible education opportunities.

Parents need to be able to supply their children with all of the tools necessary for them to learn. Teachers would be better served if parents were able to provide additional tools to their children to help them outside the classroom. This bill seeks to provide that aid in the form of a tax credit.

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