CURMUDGUCATION: HYH: Tax Credits for Dummies

CURMUDGUCATION: HYH: Tax Credits for Dummies:

HYH: Tax Credits for Dummies

I get hugely behind in my podcast listening-- I'm far better at absorbing information through my eyes than my ears, and listening to a full podcast requires a level of attentiveness that I can't always muster. That's unfortunate for me, because every time I finally get around to listening to casts, I end up wishing I'd listened sooner.

Tops on my list of podcast catch-ups is Have You Heard, a cast now in its second season and featuring the team of Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider. Both are long-time knowledgeable observers of the education; Berkshire is one of the best interviewers in the civilized world, and Schneider knows more about the history of education than just about anybody. They share a gentleness and decency that allows them to talk to the most difficult of subjects (check out their conversation with She Who Will Not Be Named)



Their most recent episode is a hugely illuminating look at the world of tax credit scholarships-- one more approach to vouchers that not only allow reformsters to circumvent the law and do some money laundering, but can even result in profit in the bargain.

The episode includes a conversation with Carl Davis of the Institute on Taxation Economic Policy, and Davis provides an explanation that is both easy to follow yet rather alarming. I'm suggesting that you listen to the whole thing, but let me give a short version to whet your appetite. 

In most states, laws known as Blaine Amendments (let Schneider explain that whole business to you) CURMUDGUCATION: HYH: Tax Credits for Dummies: