An alert EMUTalk.org reader pointed out this story to me, my initial reaction to which was whaa??? As reported on the public radio show “Marketplace,” “Pittsburgh may tax college tuition.” Why, you may ask?
Mayor Ravenstahl calls it the “fair-share tax” saying the students are using millions of dollars in city services every time they go out drinking and are not adding enough to the city coffers.
Perhaps the mayor is unaware of this thing called the “sales tax” that is being charged to all the stuff that those students are eating and drinking.
Anyway, the vote on the tax has been delayed, which suggests to me that it probably won’t go into effect– which is good.
Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax the man behind the tree.
Seems like a similar stance Ypsilanti proponents of an income tax took – EMU profs and students need to support local services too.
I don’t think there is a city sales tax right now in Pittsburgh – just a 1% county sales tax and the 6% PA sales tax, so there isn’t really a tax that directly benefits the city of Pittsburgh’s coffers.