If grad school students can’t afford the taxes and don’t pursue advanced degrees it will also effect undergrads because their won’t be enough TAs to cover intro classes.
Ok, I’ll bite. What does any of the following have to do with a:) the “education” of the doctorals; 2) defense/industry:
But as I noted upthread, DoD should ask Congress for more money to fund the type of education research that it desires.
I agree, but then (IMO) we have lot of dumb ideas/taxes. (For example, the Kiddee tax on full rides discussed above.]
Yes, it’s a job but it’s a required part of our job. It isn’t optional.
I’ve had a lot of other jobs that have required training. I’ve never been charged for or been required to pay taxes on whatever it cost my employer.
Completely agree with classicrockerdad’s post. How anyone considers tuition money taxable income is beyond me… Yes, technically, it is money you are receiving for college, but that money cannot be used to pay for anything other than college tuition. It can’t be used to pay the rent, pay for utility bills, buy a new car, buy food, etc… it has one use, and one use only, and is non-redeemable.
Here’s a timely proposal:
No tax deductions on sexual harassment settlements
*This revision comes as Capitol Hill reckons with its own handling of sexual harassment and assault cases. Under the current tax code, many payouts and legal fees resulting from these types of cases can be written off as business expenses.
Under the new proposal, “no deduction is allowed for any settlement, payout, or attorney fees related to sexual harassment or sexual abuse if such payments are subject to a nondisclosure agreement.”
A similar amendment was introduced to the House version of the bill by Colorado Republican Rep. Ken Buck, who said in a press release that the modification is meant to eliminate “the business expense deduction for hush money associated with sexual assault and sexual harassment cases.”*
If this were generally true the abuse would be ridiculous.
This is an unbelievably terrible idea, which would allow all sorts of abuse. You know what else can’t be used as currency? The $10 million house that the company buys for the CEO and lets him live in while he’s employed. Expensive non-transferrable vacations for the CFO. Meals at restaurants for the CTO. Any lavish perk that can be given to the employee, but that they can’t transfer.
No no no no no.
That may be the intended effect, given the anti-immigrant (particularly brown immigrant) sentiment that has been growing within the GOP.
Easy immigration fix: get those 50k “diversity lottery” visa green cards reallocated to folks getting graduate degrees from US institutions. There will be plenty left for family members of US citizens waiting for years go bring their parents and adult kids here.
Back to taxation.
When hubby had a company car, we had to pay taxes on the part of the usage of that car that was personal. So we didn’t get any more $$ but had to pay taxes.
Yeah, but my US student won’t be able to live on her stipend, either. I see it as a jab at higher education and research (idiotic though that is).
Given the anti-college/university sentiment that has been increasing, that may be another intended effect.
@bluebayou, did you really ask what grad students teaching classes/grading papers/holding office hours has to do with the education of PhD students, when part of the purpose of a PhD program is to credential recipients as being qualified to join the professoriate?
I’m going to suggest that you do some research to gain a deeper understanding of graduate education, given this and other posts you’ve made on this subject.
What @dfbdfb said. M. Sc. and Ph.D. programs are not “professional school” like MD, JD, MBA. Teaching undergrad or even graduate classes is a requirement. I even took a course on how to teach. Plus, where I was, research assistants had to register for “research seminar” that was x number of credits and consisted of some minimum hours per week of research work (ha! That was a joke - everyone was in the lab 24/7) plus attendance at a mandatory departmental graduate seminar. There is no way that can be classified as a “job.”
My kids are too young to have anything to do with graduate studies but I have had nieces go through elementary ed undergrads and nursing undergrads. In both cases there was a semester where they had to pay tuition AND student teach in order to get credentialed. Obviously the whole graduate program has been treated differently - more of a barter? Barters are taxable. Plus in the end the graduate students are benefitting from their education or else they wouldn’t pursue it, right? IDK - maybe it’s semantics and they should call them scholarships instead. Reform to simplify the rules is sooo long overdue.
To obtain a PhD, one has to complete a dissertation that is a significant contribution to their field. Teaching, which is what all researchers have to do to convey their newly created knowledge, is an essential aspect of this training. A PhD is a pedigree that says that you’ve been trained to do research, and were successful at least once.
As far as the defense industry, before you have Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance, navigation, missiles, satellites, cyber defense and many other military systems, you need researchers to investigate the schemes, concepts, and con-ops. You often want to do this research using mathematical models before you spend billions of dollars on hardware. There is a tremendous need in DoD related fields for PhD level research for the national defense. There are currently very few US Citizens embarking on PhD programs. The DoD does fund some fellowships, but there is a lot more DoD research funded through professors than students. However, not enough US PhDs are being produced.
If you kill off the financial feasibility of US Citizens going to PhD programs anywhere (you would still get taxed on tuition waivers if you go to Canadian graduate school), you kill off the source of these researchers who have the credentials to get the security clearances needed to work in these areas.
Maybe the fact that some people seem to think a PhD is “just” a dissertation is part of the problem. Just a thought.
You know what really just ticks me off about this other than everything? I grew up poor and was always told (by the people trying to screw me now) that if I worked hard, I could pull myself up by my bootstraps.
Well, I did. I went to college on a large scholarship that I earned. I went on to get a masters. Then I decided I wanted to be a professor so I again earned a massive scholarship to complete my training. I am getting a PhD after growing up in poverty with parents who barely finished high school. I did everything right. I did everything I was told to do.
And now, I’m at risk of losing my house, having to drop out, etc all because some anti-intellectuals have decided that a few more millions for billionaires is more important than education.
It’s just so g.d. frustrating.
ETA: I’m listening to some of the people in the cohort under me talking about how they’ll just drop out after getting their master’s if this passes.
None of us can afford this. I’m waiting for my department to make a statement. My advisor is head of the dept right now and I know this is something they’re already scrambling on.
This!!!
This provision will collect close to zero revenue because almost nobody would be able to do it.
Rich colleges will introduce need-based financial aid. Parents will have to do CSS Profile again.
Parents won’t like what happens when their students are suddenly in 300 person classes with just a professor.
My students take two essay exams plus do a papier. I give fairly extensive feedback.
Professors will go to all multiple choice tests with no feedback. Have fun with that.