Removal of U.S. Tax Code Provisions Harmful to K-12 Private Education
Take action to prevent the House and Senate from adopting changes to the U.S. Tax Code that would threaten to make K-12 private education less affordable for many American families. Please urge your Representative and Senators now to fight for two important current U.S. Tax Code provisions and safeguard our Catholic schools and their contribution to the common good.
Catholic K-12 education could be directly impacted in the ongoing efforts in Congress to reform the U.S. Tax Code. While Catholic schools do not seem to be the direct target of the legislation, the disruption to innovative schooling models and current benefit structures for staff and their families could be enormous.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging members of Congress to maintain the following U.S. Tax Code provisions, and fighting against efforts to have them removed:
- Exclusion for Qualified Tuition Reduction: Section 117 of the Tax Code provides an important benefit to our school communities. Under the provision, discounted tuition provided by a school or diocese to dependents of an employee are excluded from income (i.e., treated as an untaxed benefit). As family-oriented institutions, Catholic schools staff are eager and encouraged to have their children attend school where they are employed. This exclusion allows our schools to remain competitive with district schools in the marketplace for teachers and other staff.
- Exclusion for Educational Assistance: Section 127 of the Tax Code has enabled an innovative Catholic education model to help thousands of students from low-income families achieve their academic goals and set themselves on a path to success. For example, The Cristo Rey Network students work one day a week at a business, which in turn pays a portion of their tuition as salary. Section 127 incentivizes companies to participate in this life-changing program.
Please urge your Representative and Senators to work together to keep these important provisions which greatly impact Catholic education. The goal of the U.S. Catholic Bishops is to educate members of Congress about the unintended consequences of removing these exclusions. Your assistance in this work is critical.
Please spread this alert – every voice matters! Thank you for standing with us.
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In prayer and in public, your voices are urgently needed to bring Gospel values to bear on vital decisions being made by those who represent you.
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The Virginia Catholic Conference is the public policy agency representing Virginia’s Catholic bishops and their two dioceses.
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