Tuesday 5 October 2010

Media get graduate tax wrong again

I keep hearing about how Liberal Democrats want a graduate tax. This came up again on today's BBC Breakfast during the interview with David Cameron.

I feel I must correct the BBC on this. Liberal Democrats still want to scrap tuition fees and do not want a graduate tax. It is not Liberal Democrat policy. But it is a proposal Lib Dems would be willing to support.

The graduate tax is a coalition proposal put forward by Vince Cable as a progressive form of tax. It's an idea to help fund higher education when austerity measures are required. It is not a permanent solution but a necessary measure in these times.

Another misunderstanding is that some believe the graduate tax proposal is on top of tuition fees. It's not. The Graduate tax is a replacement for tuition fees and is not in addition too them.

I really wish the media would try to understand the difference between a coalition proposal and party policy. At the moment the media seem happen to confuse the public.

Details can be found on this money Q&A: What would a graduate tax mean?

5 comments:

  1. Don't you think the division between party policy and Coalition policy gets pretty synthetic when it is being pushed by one of our Cabinet Ministers and would be carried out by Vince, and when the Party actually backed his exploration of this at Conference (in 'Fairness In A Time Of Austerity')?

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  2. Nope, I think the policy shows what we want to do and the coalition shows what we are having to do with another party. Two different things. To me its quite simple and easy to understand.

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  3. Great idea! Graduate - then emigrate, thus avoiding paying any graduate tax and give the benefit of the free university education to another country.

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  4. Anonymous, you know what, you have a point. Many if you emigrate you have to pay it off first?

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