| Act would offer teachers some tax relief |
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Posted: Monday, October 12, 2009 9:01 pm
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Teachers purchasing classroom supplies — often with their own money — stand to benefit from legislation introduced in Congress of late.
Congressmen John Tanner of Union City and Dave Reichert of Washington have introduced the Teacher Tax Relief Act.
The act, submitted as House Resolution 3758, would increase and make permanent the maximum tax deduction available for teachers purchasing classroom supplies.
It would also expand the deduction to include expenses associated with qualified professional development pursuits, such as continuing education.
“Educators have the important responsibility of helping our young people prepare for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead,” Tanner said. “We must ensure they have the resources to help our students be successful and that they have opportunities to continue their own professional development.”
The act would amend the Internal Revenue Code to increase the maximum allowed deduction from $250 to $500, make the deduction permanent, and expand it to include professional development expenses.
“We are proud to work toward the permanent deduction of instructors’ out of pocket costs so they will not be penalized for doing all they can to continue providing quality education for the next generation of our nation’s leaders.
“School districts across the country are dealing with budget cuts, and our teachers are left to pick up the slack, paying for basic supplies such as paper, pencils, glue and scissors, out of their own pockets. They (do this) because they’re committed to providing students the best education possible.”
The National School Supply and Equipment Association found that in the 2005-06 school year, educators spent out of their own pockets an average of $826 for supplies and $926 for instructional materials, for a total of $1,752.
“It is important — especially in these difficult economic times — to stand with our teachers, demonstrating our commitment to them by expanding this tax relief to encourage continuing education pursuits and removing any uncertainty by making it permanent,” Tanner said.
Published in The Messenger 10.12.09 |
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