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S. 505, The Teacher Tax Relief Act of 2007 (10 comments ↓)
S. 505 would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the above-the-line deduction for teacher classroom supplies and to expand such deduction to include qualified professional development expenses.
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Visitor Comments
Les Chaon
This is a wonderful bill.
Elementary teachers spend a lot of their own money on class supplies, so it would greatly help them to be able to deduct that on their taxes.
TJean
Many of us teachers teach in low income areas in which the children and parents there do not have a lot to donate to the school. We teachers in turn, wanting the best experience we can provide, give of our own resources to make school a full and rich place to be (rich in knowledge). Having the help of a tax break for the expenditures in a public school setting would be a wonderful blessing to many struggling teachers. Doctors don't can deduct their instruments of craft why shouldn't teachers do the same.
Lisa
Who are the morons voting "Against" this bill? Teachers work for peanuts as it is, spending much of their own money on classroom materials (especially those in low-income areas). Teachers are "middle class" and don't qualify for many of the tax benefits given to those in low-income or high-income brackets. Give us a break; we deserve a measley $400 tax relief for buying classroom materials, which only benefit your children!
Em
For those voting against this bill...This year I bought a belt for a student whose mom sent him to school in his much older brother's pants but wouldn't buy him a belt. I bought breakfast foods for students whose parents don't feed them before school. I bought school supplies for three students who still had none at the end of September. I bought all materials for science experiments conducted in my classroom, for hands-on math lessons from our math program, and any art projects above and beyond crayon and paper. While my classroom library is full of books, I bought 90% of them with my own money. $450 is NOTHING!
LB
Large corporations get to deduct their dinner expenses with clients. They make over six figures. Teachers make an average of $50,000 and want to be able to deduct $400 on out-of-pocket classroom expenses (oooh, an increase of a whole $150). And, why does this even need to be voted on????? It should be increased to 1000! I know we spend that anyway, and we're not even wanting it for a dinner!
Geri Kenneally
Please pass this tax relief for teachers. They spend so, so much money out of their own pockets to supplement their tiny budgets.
Thank you.
Linda
The work we do and the degree we earn are not matching what we make now. Please consider the break to us. Thanks.
MD
I teach in a public high school in Ohio. The extent of our building "supplies" issued each teacher this year was a grade book and a lesson plan book. That was it! I have to buy my own chalk, weekly box of Kleenex and hand sanitizer for students to use, cleaning products to scrub desk tops, all classroom materials tht I want to use, etc., etc., etc. I suppose I should also mention all the lunch money I give to students who have none which I can't get "receipts" for to even use as a tax deduction.
Bruce Knowles
It really bothers me that our congressman stall on a bill like this when I would imagine that they all publicly denounce the low wages that teachers are paid.
JRA
I'm all for passing this bill. I'm studying to be a teacher and the more I hear about hesitation to pass such bills as these, the less I want to progress in this profession. That should not be the case! Teachers are a necessity and should be paid well in return. A tax break, even something as low as this, should be approved!