Grad Students Are Freaking Out About the GOP Tax Plan. They Should Be

More coverage: Forbes, Vox.

What you can do: call/email your congresspeople

Yeah, this is basically the worst. It’s hard to tell if it’s an omission or actually a direct attack on education.

@anon49885067 do you know if GC is doing something about this?

Update from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/11/10/endowment-tax-remains-in-play-but-graduate-stipend-tax-is-off-the-table-in-senate-plan/

Also absent from the Senate plan is any mention of repealing an exemption that prevents graduate students from paying taxes on the waivers that cover their tuition. Graduate students mobilized in the wake of the House proposal to end that tax benefit. Many complained that counting their tuition as taxable income would result in a tax burden that their stipends could not cover.

I’m not sure; however, I don’t think we have the power to directly do anything about this.
We could try to pass a Resolution requesting the Administration ensure our stipends would be raised or tuition lowered appropriately, however it would be purely a PR move. As the email sent today makes aware, the Admin is already aware of this issue, so it wouldn’t really accomplish anything.

Funding a group to travel and protest is also possible; GC funded a group going to the Scientist’s March.

But as for taking enforceable action, GC is limited. We can’t make the Admin do anything. We basically exist for the most part to appropriate a portion of the Student Life Fee for Grad Student events that we would otherwise pay but be used solely for Undergrad / College events, as Student Govt seems intent on not lowering the Student Life Fee for Grad students.

The College Council has tried to effect change in the past (and present) but usually ends up passing a lot of meaningless resolutions that effect no change but express an opinion. Sure, GC could pass a resolution to express our opinion that this is bad for grad students, but that’s pretty much obvious anyway to those who are paying attention.

Statement from GC Co-President Nick Williams (@williamsn):

https://gc.uchicago.edu/tax-cut-and-jobs-act

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Just because the Senate’s version dropped it doesn’t mean we’re safe. The Senate and the House still have to negotiate on the final version of the bill.

University communications about this issue are all being documented at:

http://grad.uchicago.edu/federaltaxproposals

Update:
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/12/02/tax-bill-key-implications-colleges-clears-senate

Looks like there is some relief:

Confirmation and more details: