Mildred Fox
Ceist:62 Ms M. Fox asked the Minister for Finance the proposals, if any, he has in relation to making maintenance costs of third-level students a tax-deductible expense. [18649/95]
Written Answers. - Tax Relief.
I have no proposals to introduce the tax relief sought. I would like to point out that parents with children in third level education, even those ineligible for the higher education grants scheme, already benefit from the very considerable financial asistance which the State provides for third level education. The 1995 budget contained a number of further significant measures of direct benefit to the parents or guardians of third level students. The measures include the phasing out over two years of fees, beginning with the current academic year, for third level undergraduate students in publicly funded colleges and to abolish fees for post leaving certificate courses. Provision has also been made for tax relief on fees paid to approved private colleges in respect of approved courses from the academic year 1996/97.
An income tax concession of the sort proposed would not only involve a substantial cost to the Exchequer but would, inevitably, be bound to generate many similar claims from other taxpayers for tax relief on a variety of personal expenditure. The consequential loss to the Exchequer would mean that considerable revenue would have to be found elsewhere to maintain services.