Chronicle of Higher Education
12-11-07
Lower Tuition vs. Lower Taxes in Iowa
College debt is a hot topic in Iowa, the Des Moines Register reports today in a
story that rounds up the views of presidential candidates on how the nation
should deal with college costs.
Many Democrats who traipse through Iowa are pitching plans that would allow
some people to attend community college at little or no cost, the newspaper
says.
Republican candidates, though, seem torn between wanting to reduce the federal
government’s role in education and looking for ways to expand access to college,
the newspaper adds.
Most Republican candidates have said they oppose plans to allow people to
enroll at community colleges at no cost and have instead emphasized ways the
federal government could make it easier for families to save money to pay for
college, according to the newspaper.
For example, Mitt Romney, a Republican and former governor of Massachusetts,
said he would cut the tax rate on interest, dividends, and capital gains earned by
people in households with annual incomes below $200,000, a move he said
would help parents save for college, the story reports.
John McCain, a Republican and U.S. senator from Arizona, also is among those
who have said he wants to keep taxes low to make it easier for families to pay for
college.
A report last year from the Iowa Board of Regents, which governs universities in
the state, found that students at Iowa State University typically graduate with
more than $30,000 in student-loan debt, higher than the national average, the
newspaper reported.