The Consortium for Higher Education Tax Reform Report

• Published in: Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success
• Format: Publication
• Language: English
• Published: Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success 2014
• Subjects: Access to Education; Bond Issues; Educational Opportunities; Educational Policy; Eligibility; Finance Reform; Higher Education; Higher Education Act Title III; Low Income Groups; Paying for College; Pell Grant Program; Public Policy; Student Financial Aid; Taxes

This White Paper presents the work of the Consortium for Higher Education Tax Reform, a partnership funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the second phase of its Reimagining Aid Design and Delivery (RADD) initiative. Consortium partners are the Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success at CLASP, the Education Trust, New America Foundation's Education Policy Program, and Young Invincibles. The Consortium identified strengths and weaknesses in federal higher education tax policy and providing recommendations for redesign and reform. This White Paper and the associated issue briefs reflect the culmination of those efforts. Included are: (1) "Higher Education Tax Reform: A Shared Agenda for Increasing College Affordability, Access, and Success," a set of consensus policy recommendations that the consortium released in November 2013; and (2) Four issue briefs written by each of the consortium's members. These briefs address in greater depth four specific aspects of the policy recommendations in the Shared Agenda. Each represents the views of the organization that wrote it; the Consortium members have provided feedback to one another, but the briefs are not intended to reflect consensus viewpoints (in contrast to the Shared Agenda). The briefs are as follows: (1) "Building an AOTC Movement: Strengthening Outreach for a Reformed American Opportunity Tax Credit" (Stephen Burd and Rachel Fishman from New America Foundation's Education Policy Program); (2) "Help When It's Needed: Advancing the AOTC" (Steve Holt from the Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success at CLASP); (3) "Tough Love: Bottom Line Quality Standards for Colleges" (Michael Dannenberg and Mary Nguyen Barry from Education Trust); and (4) "Tax-Exempt Borrowing at Postsecondary Institutions: How Reforming Tax-Exempt Bonds Can Improve Student Outcomes and Save the Government Money" (Rory O'Sullivan and Portia Boone from Young Invincibles).