THE COALITION OFFERS TAX REBATES FOR EDUCATION EXPENSES

COALITION CAMPAIGN LAUNCH, 12 NOVEMBER 2007

The Coalition has outlined a plan to offer parents $6.3 billion in tax rebates over four years to meet the costs of their children’s education. As part of the Coalition’s official campaign launch, Prime Minster John Howard stated that, unlike
the ALP’s recently announced tax rebates, the Coalition’s rebates would be made available to parents of pre-school children as well as school-aged children. In addition, Prime Minister Howard stated that the rebates would cover a wider range of education costs, including uniforms, camps and excursions, school fees, voluntary contributions and levies, education-related computer and internet costs, textbooks, stationery, elective school subjects and school-based extra-curricula activities.

Parents would be eligible for a rebate of up to 40 percent of a child’s education expenses each year. Parents of students
in pre-school and primary school would receive a maximum rebate of $400 per child per annum and secondary school parents would receive up to $800 per child per annum. Finally, Prime Minister Howard indicated that the Coalition’s policy would be made available to all Australian taxpayers.

Prime Minister Howard also stated that the Coalition would implement a $652 million plan to pay parents’ child-care rebates up front. Under the proposal, child-care rebates would be provided directly to child-care centres before parents were billed.

The Deputy Prime Minister, The Hon Mark Vaile MP, stated that the Coalition would also allocate $4 million per annum in bursaries to encourage students from remote areas to undertake tertiary studies. Under the Tertiary Access Remote Student Bursaries initiative, 1,000 students each year would receive $4,000 to help them meet the costs of moving long distances to study at university or TAFE. Bursaries would be based on an application that demonstrated a student’s distance from home to study, family need and commitment to study.

Go to www.liberal.org.au/about/ourpoliciesplans.php to access details of the policies outlined in the Coalition’s campaign launch.

 

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