In a move that is sure to anger Catholic school parents in Missouri and worry Catholic school administrators across the country, the Missouri General Assembly has proposed a “mega-sales tax” on private school tuition. Under the proposal, parents who already pay taxes for public school services they do not use would be taxed on top of their school taxes and their school tuition.
The Missouri Catholic Conference (MCC) has warned that the move would put an unfair burden on parents of Catholic school children and would "coerce" them into choosing public schools over private or Catholic schools.
An article from Catholic News Agency, explains that the services taxed under the proposed legislation would include "educational services provided by K-12 private and parochial schools." College tuition would be exempt because it is considered an investment.
From the CNA story:
"The MCC argued that K-12 private school tuition is also an investment, not 'discretionary' spending like buying a movie ticket or a magazine. It charged that the tax discriminates against private school parents, especially those who feel that their child will not receive an education in 'a failing public school.'“'By singling out private school parents for taxing while exempting all other school parents, the mega-sales tax penalizes parents who choose private or parochial schools,' the MCC commented."
To read the full CNA article, click HERE.
