Posted on 11/09/2009 7:03:28 AM PST by Willie Green
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl plans to propose a 1 percent college-education privilege tax to council today, in a move that's likely to set off a fight with the city's schools of higher learning.
College and university representatives met with the mayor on Wednesday and argued against the tax, which would be assessed on a college student's tuition. It technically would not be a levy on the students or their schools, but rather on the privilege of getting a higher education in Pittsburgh.
"They weren't pleased to hear that this was an option we were pursuing," Mr. Ravenstahl said. But he said he is ready for "a fight, or a battle, if you will," if that's what it takes to plug a $15 million gap in his 2010 budget and help the struggling Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
"We don't believe that [1 percent] is too burdensome on college students," Mr. Ravenstahl said. "The city taxpayers are paying for the services that are provided to those college students," including police, building inspection and fire service, he said. "The students have a role to play."
(Excerpt) Read more at postgazette.com ...
“Use the Force, Luke.”
"Listen, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate it. But there's nothing I can do about it right now... It's all such a long way from here."
And not long after his re-election.
And Pittsburgh wonders why they can’t keep a young population...
if he wants more money tax those know it all students who keep voting for the most part for obama.
Don’t see no reason why they live in a town for four years and they vote in that town while not paying taxes for the services they use.
Besides it will make them think about what they vote for next time and understand that voting is not like voting in the American idol
The snake, it appears, is eating itself!
Nobody left to tax but their own public-sector heavily subsidized nonprofits. Should be fun to watch them thrash and scream now that the tax machine has turned on them!
A little birdie told me that the Univ. of Pittsburgh has a secret contingency plan to move their entire undergraduate program to the Johnstown campus if something like this ever passes.
Young Mayor Luke took a page from the Nancy Pelosi playbook and kept this proposal deep under wraps until he was safely re-elected last Tuesday. His opponents were 2 independents...a RINO Republican who split from the GOP because they were not gay-friendly enough for him, and the son of a former football star who wanted to implement communal farming in the city. This town needs an opposition party SOOOOO badly!!
Reminds me of when a city decided to start taxing visiting athletes when they played there. An out-there idea that caught on. This one looks like it could go the same way, especially when the locals start counting noses at the huge football factories like Ohio State and Texas.
it all brings me back to that Monty Python skit where a bunch of MP’s are sitting around, clearly frustrated that they are running out of stuff to tax. One of them pipes up with the suggestion “Why don’t we tax all foreigners living abroad?”
But what if the 1% tax was used for a light rail system rather than to pay for city pensions?
They'd be better off making I-279 and I-376 toll roads within the city limits.
Luke Ravenstahl? Wasn’t she Hitler’s photographer?
Mayor Lukie can theorize that this WON’T affect college students...because most students ‘pay’ for their tuition the way the Democratic Party views all paydays. Magically, ‘borrowed’ (ie., student loans) money. What’s another 1%...Obama has it in his stash.
And...when the United Nations types come to our fair city (in June—gosh...we are sooooooo cosmopolitan these days) they will feel right at home, in a heavily taxed ‘mini’ NYC kinda town.
Btw, Buckeye...the UPJ campus is gorgeous...but I don’t think it is ‘big’ enough for all of that over flow. The MurthaLand campus, is well planned and compact. Not sure is there is expansion room there. Btw, the cool thing about Pitt’s branchs (UPGreensburg and UPJohnstown) is they issue “University of Pittsburgh” diplomas. No branch on diploman...it is all considered the ‘same.’
LOL! Now here’s one for you: When I was living in South Joisey (Camden County outside Philly), I spent a day at my sister-in-law’s house in the Poconos and made cellphone call while I was there which was a roaming call. Well, my bill comes and there is not just a charge for the roaming call which is to be expected, but a tax levied by my town on the roaming call. Mind you, not a tax on a roaming call made within the town, but a tax on a roaming call made by a resident of the town (that would be me) in another state. Apparently, anytime someone in that town (and I’m guessing at least across Camden County), makes a roaming call anywhere, the town gets a piece of the action. Wow.
sounds like perfect talking points for the campus Young Republicans. Borrow even more money and work even longer to pay off your student loan so that some high-school C student unionized loser can retire at age 50 and sit home on the couch drinking beer and watching Sportscenter all day.
I have it on good authority (someone who sat in on the board meetings) that they not only own enough land around UPJ to handle a major expansion, but the blueprints and initial funding plans have already been drawn.
How about this as an idea - CUT THE INSANE PUBLIC UNION PENSIONS...
“...but I don’t think it is ‘big’ enough for all of that over flow. The MurthaLand campus, is well planned and compact.”
Indeed, the existing “campus” is well-planned and compact, but rest assured they own more than enough surrounding acreage to move the entire “downtown” campus there, although I don’t see that happening in the near future. :)
What’s that line from Gangs of New York?
“Everybody owes, everybody pays. Because that’s how you keep back the rising of the tide”.
That’s a perfect description of government.
the idea supposedly originated with the Athletic Dept.
Too hard I guess to recruit football players once they have set foot on the campuses at Notre Dame, Penn State or North Carolina (not to mention parental reaction to Oakland)
Any idea how they plan to get their tenured faculty to relocate?
They wouldn’t, grad programs would all remain in Oakland.
Most undergrad classes at Pitt being taught by TA’s anyhow.
If a professor needs to go there I guess they are planning on that Maglev getting him there.
Well, for one thing, YOU'RE not paying the tax. For another, it may not be burdensome, but how long will it stay at 1%? Camel's nose, meet tent.
just picturing how corrupt Boston is gonna be if this idea catches on...
Carnegie Mellon University
Duquesne University
Robert Morris University
Point Park University
Chatham University
Carlow University
Community College of Allegheny County
Pittsburgh Technical Institute
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Art Institute of Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania Culinary Institute
Pittsburgh Filmmakers' School of Film, Photography, and Digital Media
Robert Morris is in Moon Township and not located within city limits, so I think they are safe. All of the others would be subject to the tax though.
Btw, the cool thing about Pitt’s branchs (UPGreensburg and UPJohnstown)
Don't forget UP-Titusville and UP-Bradford!
;^)
I take that back...Robert Morris does have a downtown center. Not sure how they calculate what % is taxable to the city. Rumor is they are trying to sell the building to Duquesne anyhow.
Our middle son attends there. Beautiful campus; great academics (and sports...that’s what drew him there NCAA D2) and incredibly efficient Financial Aide dept and student transfer services. He is our third going thru college and his transfer/registration (even with the PA budget impasse) was well organized and painless.
Go MountainCats!!!
I’m in favor of taxes on the edjamakation industry, which has been for low tax for them, but favoring high taxes on everyone else, and a lefty employment zone, subsidized by government taxes.
Make.
Them.
Pay.
Make lefty education zones feel the loving embrace of their high tax state governments they advocate for so often.
Robert Morris is in Moon Township and not located within city limits, so I think they are safe. All of the others would be subject to the tax though.
They also maintain a "satellite" campus downtown on 5th Avenue, near the Allegheny County Courthouse.
But they could probably pull the plug on that one pretty quickly.
too bad not one of us is on city council to propose a tax on International Conference Attendees....
I remembered Bradford after I posted...but completely had no knowledge of Titusville. Where have I been ?
PS, MurthaLand (in our house we call it JTown) really is a little gem in the heart of all those hills :)
Johnstown is a great place, but I fear it is destined to become a ghost town ten minutes after John Murtha assumes room temperature. Can’t think of anyone I’ve ever met there whose job was not somehow dependent on Murtha-induced pork.
Reminds me of when a city decided to start taxing visiting athletes when they played there”
That has to be a bookkeeping nightmare.
The schedules are not chosen by the athletes. They are set by the NBA/NFL, etc.
Another tax increase. That ought to be popular. Can we rebel now?
Oh that's right, that would be the end of your political career.
I swear, remember that show with Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman? Well Sherman finally got too old for Mr. Peabody's pedophilia fetishes, and changed his name to Luke Ravenstahl.
That's right folks, Pittsburgh's mary is Sherman the Boy Mayor.
See post 34
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