• 29 March 2024
Educators Feel the Squeeze in Congress’ Tax Overhaul Debates

Educators Feel the Squeeze in Congress’ Tax Overhaul Debates

Dec 19, 2017

As the Congress debates the final touches to its proposed tax overhaul, the $250 tax deduction for educators survives another day.

Educators in the U.S. often get the short-end of the stick: long hours, low pay, micromanaging administrators.

Well, thanks to House Republicans who just passed their version of the proposed tax bill, educators can breathe a very small sigh of relief.

The House version now retains, rather than scraps, the existing $250 tax deduction for eligible educators (the current Senate version wants to double it) – of little benefit to most U.S. educators.

According to a 2016 Scholastic teacher survey, teachers nationwide spend on average $530 each year on out-of-pocket school supplies. Teachers at high-poverty schools are left an even larger burden, spending on average 40% more out-of-pocket. Further complicating matters, since the deduction effectively reduces taxable income, most teachers only see a return of around $40.

With one less (albeit minor) battle over, educators still await the final outcome of Congress’ proposed tax bill – and the potential headaches for state and local funding of K-12 public education.

Stay tuned.

banner image from https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/12/19/569989782/how-much-do-teachers-spend-on-classroom-supplies

How Much Do Teachers Spend on Classroom Supplies? https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/12/19/569989782/how-much-do-teachers-spend-on-classroom-supplies

5 Things to Know About the (Still Intact) Teacher Tax Deduction https://www.the74million.org/5-things-to-know-about-the-still-intact-teacher-tax-deduction/

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Clark

Clark