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| Date: From: Subject: | 5/27/2005 2:48:25 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Minnesota--Call Now to Expand Tax Credits |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== May 27, 2005 Minnesota--Call Now to Expand Tax Credits Dear Minnesota HSLDA members and friends: Both houses of the Legislature have voted to make changes to Minnesota's educational tax credit, which currently provides lower-income families with a 75% credit for secular educational expenses (not to exceed $1000 per child and $2000 per family). Because the House and Senate don't agree on how to expand the credit, the Legislature has sent the two different versions to a conference committee to come up with a final answer. The House version provides more tax relief sooner. We need your help to get this message through to the members of the Tax Working Group. ACTION REQUESTED: (1) Please call the members of the Conference Committee and urge them to vote for the House version of the Educational Tax Credit. Say: Larger families need educational choice as much as anybody, and they deserve an equitable educational tax credit as soon as possible. Please vote for the House version of the Educational Tax Credit because it is indexed for inflation and is implemented sooner. The Senate version is less friendly to large families. The members of the Conference Committee are: Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson (ex officio) (District 13 - Willmar) 651-296-3826 Senator Larry Pogemiller District 59 - Minneapolis 651-296-7809 Senator William Belanger District 40 - Bloomington 651-296-5975 Senator Don Betzold District 51 - Fridley 651-296-2556 Senator Mee Moua District 67 - St. Paul 651-296-5285 Senator Rod Skoe District 2 - Clearbrook 651-296-4196 Representative Philip Krinkie District 53A - Shoreview 651-296-2907 Representative Ron Abrams District 43B - Minnetonka 651-296-9934 Representative Morrie Lanning District 9A - Moorhead 651-296-5515 Representative Ann Lenczewski District 40B - Bloomington 651-296-4218 Representative Dean Simpson District 10B - New York Mills 651-296-4293 (2) Please forward this message to other homeschoolers, private school parents, and other supporters of educational choice. We need to make sure each member of the Tax Working Group gets as many calls as possible from their own constituents! BACKGROUND Minnesota leads the nation in meaningful educational choice options. The educational tax credit is important to many families, even though it is limited in many ways. It is limited in that it only refunds 75% of what is spent, only applies to secular educational materials, is only available to families with incomes under $37,500, and is capped at $1,000 per child and $2,000 per family. Many homeschoolers are dissatisfied with such a limited credit, but HSLDA believes in incremental improvements to the laws. The House and Senate have both passed modest improvements to the tax credit. We support any positive change to this law, and urge our members to support the House version, which does more good sooner. Under existing law, families can claim a credit of up to $2000 if the household income is $33,500 or less. As family income increases, the credit is phased out by $1 for every $4 earned, so that no credit is available by the time a family makes $37,500. Both the House and Senate have voted to eliminate the family cap so that larger families with incomes under $37,500 can get a larger credit. The two versions are very different in how they phase this credit out, however. Here is a table showing the credit a family with four children would get under the two different versions. (All figures are for the 2006 tax year, when the new law would be fully implemented.) Family income House Senate $33,500 $4,000 $4,000 $34,500 $3,750 $3,750 $35,500 $3,500 $3,500 $36,500 $3,250 $3,250 $37,500 $3,000 $0 $41,500 $2,000 $0 $45,500 $1,000 $0 $49,500 $0 $0 (Remember that because Minnesota pays almost $10,000 per public school pupil, taxpayers save at least $9,000 per child every time a family chooses private education.) The House version goes into effect a year before the Senate version, so it helps families sooner. The House version is indexed to federal poverty guidelines, rather than a specific dollar amount. Nobody wants to see a family with four children suddenly lose thousands of dollars of credits just because of inflation, but that is exactly what will happen under the Senate version. Please call the Legislature to urge them to vote for the House version. With your help, Minnesota can show the rest of the nation why meaningful educational choice is so good for children, families, and taxpayers! Sincerely, Scott Somerville HSLDA Staff Attorney ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> How long are you in for? Some families are facing what seems like a lifelong commitment to homeschooling, with children at both ends of the spectrum-some graduating and some just reaching school age. If you're going to be "in" for a while, consider a lifetime membership with HSLDA. It's a good deal for families with more than 10 years of homeschooling ahead. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1936 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
