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  • DAMN!

    Filed at 7:29 am under by dcobranchi

    SC Gov. Mark Sanford’s “Put Parents in Charge” Act (i.e., tax credits) is looking uglier all the time. The actual bill is online; it is not a blanket tax credit, but a reimbursement for expenses.

    For a student taught at home pursuant to Article 1, Chapter 65, Title 59, ‘receipt’ means a document issued by the entity receiving a payment for tuition, which contains the name of the entity receiving the payment; the identity of the goods or services purchased; the date and amount of tuition paid; and, if the receipt is for personal services, the person’s taxpayer identification number.

    This would be a record-keeping nightmare. And, presumably, if audited these receipts would be subject to interpretation by the South Carolina Department of Revenue. A trip to the zoo? Not allowed. Swimming lessons? Ditto.

    This is not how I understood Sanford’s proposal. SC home educators ought to oppose this.

    2 Responses to “DAMN!”


    Comment by
    Mary N.
    January 29th, 2005
    at 11:36 am

    Daryl,

    I have followed most of these tax credits that have popped up around the country and found most of these proposals to have strings attached.

    The only tax credit or other tax incentive for homeschoolers that I’d get behind, would be NO TAX at all. Then I would not be handing the money over to be redistributed.

    Any time we give our money to a city or state, it becomes that entities money. That entity has been granted the power to disburse the money , the power to grant any credits it might give and to control the accountability measures they choose to attach to the credit.

    I know that our taxes are high, but I don’t buy any of the P.R. that these vouchers, tax credits, etc., would be good for homeschoolers.

    I’d prefer to pay my taxes, use other measures to lessen them, live simply and enjoy my freedom to homeschool.

    Mary


    Comment by
    Daryl Cobranchi
    January 29th, 2005
    at 1:19 pm

    When it first came out a year ago, the proposal was touted as essentially a no strings program– if you have kids and they’re not in the g-schools, you get the money. Evidently, that approach has gone by the wayside.

    Sanford’s a good guy who’s kids were (are?) home educated, so his heart’s in the right place. That being said this proposal ought to be opposed. Sometimes, we actually can be on the same side as the edu-crats.