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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/15/2007 11:56:01 AM Home School Legal Defense Association New Hampshire--Call to Support $500 Tax Credit for Homeschooling Families! |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== February 15, 2007 New Hampshire--Calls Needed to Support $500 Tax Credit for Homeschooling Families! Dear HSLDA members and friends, House Bill 422 provides tax relief for homeschooling families. Tomorrow, Friday, February 16, 2007, the Municipal and County Government Committee will consider House Bill 422, which would authorize the governing body of a municipality in New Hampshire to issue a tax credit of up to $500 per child to parents whose children are enrolled in a nonpublic school or home education program. In addition to this committee hearing, an executive session will be held on Tuesday, February 20, 2007, to discuss this bill. Show your support for House Bill 422 by contacting members of the House Municipal and County Government Committee and attending the hearings in Concord tomorrow and next Tuesday. Both hearings will be in Legislative Office Building 301 at 1 p.m. This could also be a wonderful opportunity for your children to observe the legislative process of state government. Regardless of whether you attend the hearings, please call members of the committee TODAY and ask them to vote for House Bill 422. ACTION REQUESTED: (1) Please call and/or email as many members of the House Municipal and County Government Committee (listed below) as possible and urge them to vote in favor of House Bill 422. In your own words, give them the following message: "Please vote for House Bill 422, which would authorize a tax credit for parents whose children do not attend public school. This would provide relief to families who now have a double burden of both paying taxes for public schools as well as providing for their children's education either privately or through homeschooling." House Municipal and County Government Committee: Committee Phone: (603) 271-3317 Robert L. Theberge (Chair) Email: robert.theberge@leg.state.nh.us Jessie L. Osborne (Vice-Chair) Email: jessie.osborn@leg.state.nh.us Mary R. Cooney (Clerk) Email: mary.cooney@leg.state.nh.us Earle Goodwin (603) 271-3317 Timothy Butterworth Email: tim.butterworth@leg.state.nh.us Bennett F. Moore (603) 271-3317 Betsey L. Patten Email: betsey.patten@leg.state.nh.us Bruce F. Hunter (603) 271-3317 Robert J. Elliott Email: bob.elliott@leg.state.nh.us Larry Brown (603) 271-3317 Michael R. DesRoches (603) 271-3317 Anthony F. Simon Email: anthony.simon@leg.state.nh.us Laurie J. Boyce Email: laurie.boyce@leg.state.nh.us Andy Peterson (603) 271-3317 Mark A. Pearson Email: mark.pearson@leg.state.nh.us Robert J. Watson Email: bob.watson@leg.state.nh.us Suzanna S. Laliberte (603) 271-3317 Robert A. Srnec (603) 271-3317 Eric G. Stohl Email: eric.stohl@leg.state.nh.us Joseph A. Guthrie (603) 271-3317 (2) Please attend the House Municipal and County Government Committee and Executive hearings on Thursday, February 16, 2007, and Tuesday, February 20, 2007, at Legislative Office Building 301 in Concord. To view the text of House Bill 422, please visit http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=3758 . 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 they do not use themselves, a number of homeschoolers are concerned about any effort to get benefits from the government. Most homeschoolers 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. Various appellate courts, including federal courts, have ruled that tax credits are not government funds. Therefore, they do not carry with them government strings as do educational vouchers. 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 could be accomplished through a tax credit. Educational tax credit legislation can typically be divided into two categories: tax credits for individuals or corporations who contribute to a non-profit scholarship fund and tax credits reimbursing parents for educational expenses incurred for their children. Arizona passed an educational tax credit law which falls into the first category while Minnesota and Illinois passed a tax credit falling into the second category. Education tax credits offer several benefits: > 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 tuition tax credit will reduce overcrowded public school class sizes and the student-to-teacher ratio, making more teachers available to public school students. > Education tax credits will benefit low-income families. Many 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=3661 . Sincerely, Michael P. Donnelly, Esq. HSLDA Staff Attorney ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> You can only do so much... No one can be everywhere at once. And you can't be at home, teaching your children, while monitoring your state's legislature. Through electronic legislative services, HSLDA is monitoring state legislation for you -- watching and listening carefully for any proposed laws that could erode your right to homeschool. Join HSLDA today-we'll watch out for your future. More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1942 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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If this is an invalid email address or you have other problems, please reply to webmaster@hslda.org. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: This is considered a private and confidential message from HSLDA to its bonafide HSLDA E-lert Service subscribers. HSLDA cannot attest to the authenticity of copies posted, forwarded, or sent by any party other than HSLDA. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: Please do not reply or otherwise use this email address; hslda@hslda.org is for broadcast purposes only and is not intended to receive incoming messages. We cannot reply to any email sent to this address. If you have comments or questions, please send email to info@hslda.org or call HSLDA at 540-338-5600. HSLDA members can also email staff directly through the Members website at http://members.hslda.org/contact.asp. Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
