Tax Credit Ethics

We recently read an article about Obama’s efforts to incorporate a tax credit for college students. The tax credit would be about $4000 for each student volunteer who had at least 100 hours community service for that year. I think this is a great way to increase the amount of volunteers for non-profit organizations. It also helps out students who need assistance with tuition. I don’t see it as a payment in any way. If it were payment, these volunteers could use the money for whatever they choose. Since it’s a tax credit, going strictly to tuition, it’s merely an incentive to increase the number of volunteers.

This blog is by students studying the ethics of fundraising and philanthropy at Kansas State University. I think this student’s assessment of tax credits is quite accurate. Missouri’s current legislation about scholarship tax credits for special needs students uses the same principle. Just like community service volunteers, philanthropists would give to a cause they believe is worthy, in Missouri’s case tuition assistance for special needs students who require private services in their education but cannot afford them. It's ethical, it promotes compassion and rewards people who go out of their way to do good.

Just another area where more transparency will help

Springfield School’s superintendent Norm Ridder raised some eyebrows for his statement that some of the lawsuits that cost the district over $340,000 over the last 3 years.

"It really gets into what I would call frivolous in some cases ... people have a right to file a suit but in some cases, it is basically taking advantage of the system," said Ridder, according to the Springfield News-Leader.

The News-Leader felt this statement implied that the lawsuits were not consequential, and that the school system had been “duped” into paying for unreasonable claims.

Without a clear idea of the lawsuit claims, it’s hard to validate or invalidate that, but apropos that vagueness, the News-Leader has offered some ideas for clearing up that quagmire. They believe that more transparency about the claims would help on many fronts. Knowing that a problem has been repaired is important to the community that shoulders that cost. In turn, that accountability from the community may quell some of the less than admirable claims.