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Proposed Tax No Fair, Brown U. Students Say

Providence mayor wants to charge them $300 a year

By Sarah Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted May 13, 2009 3:47 PM CDT

(Newser) – Students at Brown University say they contribute to their community in countless ways, and a proposed $150-per-semester tax shouldn’t be one of them, the AP reports. “We’re more able to provide labor, we’re more able to apply the things that we're learning in the classroom, than we are to write a $300 check,” said one opposed to the plan from the mayor of Providence, RI.

“Everyone should be doing their part and coming to the table,” Mayor David Cicilline of the 25,000 students at the city’s four private colleges he believes should help foot the bills for services they use. Providence is facing a $17 million deficit, and the student tax would bring in up to $8 million a year. But students—who pay nearly $40,000 a year in tuition—say they’re burdened enough.

Students pass by Soldiers Memorial Gate on the Brown University campus in Providence, RI., on May 12, 2009.
Students pass by Soldiers Memorial Gate on the Brown University campus in Providence, RI., on May 12, 2009.   (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
Heather Lee, president of the Brown University Graduate Student Council, opposes Providence Mayor David Cicilline's proposal to institute a $150-a-semester tax on the city's 25,000 full-time students.
Heather Lee, president of the Brown University Graduate Student Council, opposes Providence Mayor David Cicilline's proposal to institute a $150-a-semester tax on the city's 25,000 full-time students.   (AP Photo)
Providence Mayor David Cicilline wants to slap a $150-per-semester tax on the 25,000 full-time students who attend the four private colleges and universities in his city.
Providence Mayor David Cicilline wants to slap a $150-per-semester tax on the 25,000 full-time students who attend the four private colleges and universities in his city.   (AP Photo)
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We think the indirect and direct benefit of students within the community would outweigh any costs. - Daniel Egan, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Rhode Island

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 6 comments
northeast
May 14, 2009 4:30 AM CDT
RI has an unemployment rate of about 12% and is ranked the 3rd worst state for business in the nation....this means that the high taxes you would pay in RI don't actually go towards stimulating anything. These students are realizing that a bit too late.
paul123
May 14, 2009 3:25 AM CDT
Taxes are ok until it hits home I guess. Welcome to the real world biotches!
RobN
May 14, 2009 2:00 AM CDT
How exactly do you tax somebody for living in your community but not others? I think you've got a mountain of equal protection issues in this.

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