Student fees, appropriate charges

[llamatron]

You wouldn't retrospectively tax people (someone who was 64 might rightly be rather unhappy at suddenly getting an entire working lives tax bill to pay, and as you say, it would be unfair), you would start taxing them on their earnings from say the beginning of the next financial year. I don't see that as being any more unfair on a newly graduated student, someone who's a year off retirement, or a leader of the government. All of them can do as many people have suggested, and take a pay cut to below the national average wage and avoid paying any additional tax.

 

But as I said, as it would negatively affect all the people who got their education for free who currently run this country, it will never ever happen.

 

 

 

But since the argument for charging for going to university is that you will earn more than the average person over your lifetime that doesn't really make much sense. As it stands, you can avoid paying back any of your loan by earning less than their abitary threshhold (I would link a graduate tax to a rolling average wage so while it constantly changes, it also constantly relects the way people are being paid). Also, by only charging those who have been to university, those who "work their arses off" and make a successful career without taking a few years off to go drinking (and without costing the country in educating them) are rewarded for their effort by paying less tax.

 

but those who work their arses off after a degree are punished more and more by ever increasing taxes, they would be subsidising those who after their degree opted for jobs in shops, staying at home etc.

 

People who got the degree in order to get qualified for a certain career will be subsidising those doing mickey mouse courses-its the wrong way round

[dosxuk]

but those who work their arses off after a degree are punished more and more by ever increasing taxes, they would be subsidising those who after their degree opted for jobs in shops, staying at home etc.

 

People who got the degree in order to get qualified for a certain career will be subsidising those doing mickey mouse courses-its the wrong way round

 

But those who work their arses off now pay back their loans, those who doss about then go on the dole never pay back their loans, it's exactly the same situation now, and will be even worse when they raise the threshold for repayments.

[llamatron]

But those who work their arses off now pay back their loans, those who doss about then go on the dole never pay back their loans, it's exactly the same situation now, and will be even worse when they raise the threshold for repayments.

 

no its not the same now, at the moment we are paying a fixed price that we agreed before starting the course. We don't subsidise the people not paying off their loans. In a graduate tax we would be.

[dosxuk]

We all subsidise those who don't pay off their loans, the money has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is central funds, so your increased tax payments from working your arse off, are going to pay for those who can't be bothered to sit on benefits and to pay for the course they didn't pay for.

[llamatron]

We all subsidise those who don't pay off their loans, the money has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is central funds, so your increased tax payments from working your arse off, are going to pay for those who can't be bothered to sit on benefits and to pay for the course they didn't pay for.

 

but thats a bigger pot so it is fairer, also thats an accidental subsidy not one designed into the system. The idea is that we all pay our fees off. Thats not true of the graduate tax.

[oldprune]

In a recent survey around 30% of UK students said they were considering emigrating after graduation. It is all very well the tax payer forking out for students to gain qualification, but we get no return if they end up working in the USA.

[llamatron]

In a recent survey around 30% of UK students said they were considering emigrating after graduation. It is all very well the tax payer forking out for students to gain qualification, but we get no return if they end up working in the USA.

 

good point, the bbc story quoting somewhere in this thread said a graduate tax would lead to a brain drain from the UK.

 

I guess a graduate tax would be ok if the money obtained from the tax went back to the institute AND department that the students graduated from. High paid engineers should not be subsiding students studying winemaking degrees. However then it would become so complicated to administer that it would fail anyway.

 

Maybe businesses will start sponsoring students and then the courses will start to cater for businesses and the mickey mouse degrees will naturally dissappear.

[Fogey]

Be more academically selective and don't charge any fees at all.

I have been to 2 universities and the service I got was not worth anything approaching £9000 per year. Added to that the repayments are counted against you when you come to do things like take out a mortgage.