2008 Woodie Awards
'Death tax' is life for college students
Issue date: 10/5/06 Section: Commentary
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It's all in a name. Some call it an estate tax; others call it a death tax. Either way, Washington voters will have a chance with to decide whether the state government can continue to tax inheritances by voting on Initiative 920 in November.
And if they vote yes, your college experience may get a bit more expensive, as estate taxes contribute more than $100 million per year into the Education and Trust Account. As a result, funding for enrollment slots at Washington institutions of higher education and the State Need Grant programs will get seriously slashed.
Opponents call the meat of Initiative 920 a death tax. According to that framing, how could anyone in their right minds support inheritance taxes? How could any rational person justify the government taking what little you have left after you laid down for the ol' dirt nap?
What they don't say is that 99.5 percent of all Washingtonians are exempt from inheritance taxes and that only 210 estates were taxed last year. They also forget to mention that America's middle class is more marginalized than Matt Hassleback's passing game in last week's effort against the Chicago Bears, and the lifting of inheritance taxes will only broaden the gap.
The two ways to reverse the trend of social stratification is to redistribute some of the capital from the burgeoning power elites and also increase educational opportunities among the lower classes. Voting no to Initiative 920 will help serve both those ends.
Join with the Ledger in saying a loud "no" at the voting booths to Initiative 920 in November. A repeal of the estate tax may affect all UWT students, regardless of whether they qualify for a Washington State Need Grant. Since the UWT already has more students than funding allocated by Olympia, any cut to their allotment will strip crucial funding from UWT's budget. This, in turn, will affect the entire student body.
It's your education. It's your future. Don't let clever semantics influence either one. "Death taxes" keep hope of a better life alive for thousands of Washington students, so let's all do our part to kill an initiative born from greed, and nothing else, this November.
In order to find out how you can get involved in the effort to block Initiative 920, visit the website www.NoOn920.org.
And if they vote yes, your college experience may get a bit more expensive, as estate taxes contribute more than $100 million per year into the Education and Trust Account. As a result, funding for enrollment slots at Washington institutions of higher education and the State Need Grant programs will get seriously slashed.
Opponents call the meat of Initiative 920 a death tax. According to that framing, how could anyone in their right minds support inheritance taxes? How could any rational person justify the government taking what little you have left after you laid down for the ol' dirt nap?
What they don't say is that 99.5 percent of all Washingtonians are exempt from inheritance taxes and that only 210 estates were taxed last year. They also forget to mention that America's middle class is more marginalized than Matt Hassleback's passing game in last week's effort against the Chicago Bears, and the lifting of inheritance taxes will only broaden the gap.
The two ways to reverse the trend of social stratification is to redistribute some of the capital from the burgeoning power elites and also increase educational opportunities among the lower classes. Voting no to Initiative 920 will help serve both those ends.
Join with the Ledger in saying a loud "no" at the voting booths to Initiative 920 in November. A repeal of the estate tax may affect all UWT students, regardless of whether they qualify for a Washington State Need Grant. Since the UWT already has more students than funding allocated by Olympia, any cut to their allotment will strip crucial funding from UWT's budget. This, in turn, will affect the entire student body.
It's your education. It's your future. Don't let clever semantics influence either one. "Death taxes" keep hope of a better life alive for thousands of Washington students, so let's all do our part to kill an initiative born from greed, and nothing else, this November.
In order to find out how you can get involved in the effort to block Initiative 920, visit the website www.NoOn920.org.
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