Tax Credits or Back-door Vouchers by R-Senator Patrick and Lt. Governor Dewhurst

[DhhD]

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/voucher-bill-generates-little-enthusiasm/nWzSn/

Months before the Legislature officially convened, Dewhurst and Patrick visited students at a Catholic school near the State Capitol to advocate legislation that would provide corporate tax breaks to Texas businesses, if the revenue was “contributed” to a non-profit group that would award private school “scholarships.”

It wasn’t until hours before the bill-filing deadline earlier this month that Patrick, who chairs the Legislature’s Tea Party Caucus, finally filed his bill.

Tax policy experts find Patrick’s concept worrisome, because tax credits would be awarded for private school scholarships, but not for other purposes.

Former Chief Deputy Comptroller Billy Hamilton – there is no more highly respected tax policy expert in the country – recently wrote, “Tuition tax credits aren’t about tax policy or about investment in schools; they’re about getting a voucher program on the books that can be expanded over time. That’s why critics have called the tax credits ‘back-door vouchers’ and ‘neo-vouchers.’ Either way, they’re the wrong answer.”