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Would you prefer university to be debt free but have a graduate tax?

Poll

Graduate tax or current loan based system

Many students and organisations believe that student getting 50K+ debt for university is a bad thing.

Would these people prefer s graduate tax as opposed to the loan based system currently used.?

Also do you believe there is any difference between a graduate tax and the current system

Reply 1

evantej

Original post by niteninja1

False dichotomy. Graduates take out student loans and earn more money than non-graduates so they pay more tax. Having a separate 'graduate tax' on top of the existing system would mean they are being taxed three times instead of two.

The issue is really whether or not the government should subsidize the student loan side of things given that graduates tend to contribute significantly more to society both financially and otherwise than non-graduates (e.g. teachers, medical staff, engineers, researchers).

The Conservative's reductive approach of linking higher education with a salary is really not appropriate . It is almost impossible for a non-graduate to argue that they do not benefit from the skills of graduates so they should not have to contribute towards their upkeep when they already earn relatively more money. Whether it is the midwife that delivered them, the teacher who taught them to read, the lecturer who taught them to be a plumber, or the engineer who designed the road which they drive their van on to work to earn 'their' money.

Whole argument is indicative of the narrow-minded, selfish, individualistic society we live in sadly.

Reply 2

#ChaosKass

Neither - the higher education sector should be privatised and fees should have to be paid upfront. Make all the naive 18 year olds actually think before committing to going to university.

Reply 3

InArduisFouette

the current fees , loans etc regime is a graduate tax in all but name with the level of the tax depnding on the subject chosen by virtue of the bursaries , fee remissions and so on ...

Reply 4

niteninja1

Original post by zippyRN

the current fees , loans etc regime is a graduate tax in all but name with the level of the tax depnding on the subject chosen by virtue of the bursaries , fee remissions and so on ...

Exactly my point but the NUS claims that the debt is the issue let's face it there is no debt it's a grad tax

Reply 5

tomlam

It is currently essentially a graduate tax. Am I ever going to pay off my student loans? Err no... Not if I'm going to become a teacher.

The only difference between the current system and a graduate tax is that rich and successful people can pay it off. In my opinion, a graduate tax would be a much better solution although if the government does anything to students it's going to be spun negatively so nothing's going to be done this parliament.

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