WASHINGTON, DC — Providing high-quality education for their children is among the biggest concerns of American parents, but all too often high costs and prohibitive tax policy makes that dream far out of reach.

On Tuesday, US Rep. Ron Paul (R, TX) introduced his Education Freedom Package, composed of three separate pieces of legislation designed to give parents more options, encourage greater commitment to educational pursuits, and reward the nation’s teachers.

The first bill is the Family Education Freedom Act . This measure will give parents a $3,000 per child per year tax credit. This credit can apply to tuition, tutors, books, computers and other related educational needs, and applies equally to parents who choose to educate their kids in public, private and home settings. The second measure is the Education Improvement Tax Cut , legislation allowing individuals to claim up to $3,000 per year in tax credits for cash or “in-kind” donations to schools or scholarship programs.

Finally, there is the Teacher Tax Cut Act . This measure will allow all teachers to claim a $1,000 tax credit, effectively raising their salary by a $1,000. This measure already has bipartisan support, with US Reps. Gene Green (D, TX), George Radanovitch (R, CA), Nathan Deal (R, GA), Cliff Stearns (R, FL), and Maurice Hinchey (D, NY).

“By providing large tax credits to parents, it will be possible for more people to take advantage of private schools, tutors and other educational opportunities,” said Rep. Paul, a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. “Parents should be free to decide for themselves how best to provide for their kids’ education, without strings attached. I trust parents to make the best decisions for their kids more than I do congressmen and bureaucrats in Washington, DC.”

Rep. Paul said he hopes his Education Improvement tax credit will encourage people to set-up scholarship funds for disadvantaged youth, as well as involve themselves in the local schools.

With teachers often ranking at the bottom tier of professional pay, Rep. Paul said letting them keep more of their own money will amount to a pay-raise.

“It’s time the federal government recognizes that teaching our youth is a honorable pursuit and should be rewarded with a tax credit that comes by being engaged in that profession,” said Rep. Paul.

Letting more people keep their money and provide for their families is a better deal for everyone, especially in education.

“No big-government spending program can or will solve our nation’s problems, or even the problems of any individuals. One-size-fits-all programs simply do not work; I want to give parents the freedom to choose the best option for their kids, without strings being attached. I want teachers to know that their services are valuable to our nation without making them subservient to federal bureaucrats,” said the congressman. “Local control — family control — is in the best interest of everyone.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 3rd, 1999 at 3:14 am and is filed under Press Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.