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From the HSLDA E-lert Service...
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February 18, 2005
Colorado--Calls Needed To Support $1000 Tax Credit for Homeschooling
Dear HSLDA members and friends:
How would you like to subtract $1,000 per child from your local
property taxes?
House Bill 1258, introduced by Representative Kevin Lundberg, and
scheduled for a hearing on February 23, allows parents to subtract up
to $1,000 per student for the cost of tuition and educational expenses
from their local property taxes.
The credit would only be applicable to students enrolled in public
school after January 1, 2005 who then transfer to a homeschool or
independent school program.
The House Finance Committee will be voting on the bill at 1:30 p.m. on
Wednesday, February 23, so your calls are needed to ensure its
passage.
ACTION REQUESTED
Please call the members of the Finance Committee and give them this
message:
"Please support HB 1258 and vote to pass it out of committee. This
bill will benefit parents and children and promote education in our
state. Parents deserve a tax break for educational expenses."
House Finance Committee Members:
Representative Valentin Vigil, Chairman
303-866-2964
E-mail: valentin.vigil.house@state.co.us
Representative Joel Judd, Vice-Chairman
303-866-2925
E-mail: joel.judd.house@state.co.us
Representative Debbie Benefield
303-866-2950
E-mail: debbie.benefield.house@state.co.us
Representative Mark Cloer
303-866-3069
Representative Bill Crane
303-866-2962
E-mail: bill@billcrane.org
Representative K. Jerry Frangas
303-866-2954
E-mail: kjerry.frangas.house@state.co.us
Representative Michael Garcia
303-866-3911
E-mail: michael@michaelgarcia.info
Representative Cheri Jahn
303-866-5522
E-mail: cheri.jahn.house@state.co.us
Representative Rosemary Marshall
303-866-2959
E-mail: rosemary.marshall.house@state.co.us
Representative Tom Massey
303-866-2747
E-mail: tom.massey.house@state.co.us
Representative Mike May
303-866-2933
E-mail: mike.may.house@state.co.us
Representative Bob McCluskey
303-866-4569
E-mail: bob.mccluskey.house@state.co.us
Representative John Witwer
303-866-2582
E-mail: john.witwer.house@state.co.us
BACKGROUND
Homeschoolers currently pay for the public education system while they
privately educate their own children. This "double taxation" is
unfair. While almost all homeschoolers would like to be free of the
tax burden of public schools, a significant number of homeschool
leaders are concerned about any effort to receive benefits from the
government. Most homeschool leaders agree that vouchers (direct
payments from the government to private or homeschools) are
unacceptable because of the controls and loss of freedom that comes
with the money.
As an alternative, HSLDA recommends another vehicle: educational tax
credits. Parents and individuals who provide for a child's education
should be allowed to keep some of their tax money that would otherwise
have been used to fund public education. This goal can be accomplished
through a tax credit.
House Bill 1258 is different than many tax credits because it gives a
credit for local property tax rather than state income tax. The bill
provides that the money lost to the local government will be refunded
by the state of Colorado, so this bill does not actually affect local
revenue.
Families that are currently homeschooling will not be able to claim
this credit. However, it is a large step forward for homeschool
freedom because it will encourage families to begin homeschooling. Any
family that removes their child from a public school program in a
district that has seen increased enrollment is eligible for the tax
credit, as long as they continue to homeschool in the state.
Other general benefits of education tax credits:
* Educational tax credits will give parents true choice in education.
This tax credit will help reduce the "double tax burden" on parents
who choose private or home education.
* Education tax credits will benefit public schools by encouraging
students to attend private schools or homeschools, the tax credit will
reduce overcrowded public school classrooms and reduce the
student-to-teacher ratio, making more teachers available to public
school students.
* Education tax credits will benefit low-income families. Most
educational tax credit proposals provide a credit for businesses and
private individuals who contribute to a nonprofit scholarship fund,
which are usually dedicated to helping low-income families. This type
of credit provides an incentive to help give low-income families true
choice in their children's education.
For more information on educational tax credits, see our memorandum at
http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?ID=2125
Thanks for your calls!
Sincerely,
Chris Klicka
HSLDA Senior Counsel
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-> Who are the nation's best lobbyists?
We don't know that this has ever been determined; but we do know
that HSLDA's National Center for Home Education is the only
national organization lobbying on behalf of homeschoolers on
Capitol Hill.
More reasons to join HSLDA...
http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1102
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