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2010/14: Should the government offer tax concessions to help parents purchase school uniforms for their children?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right: A Sky News report on the Prime Minister Julia Gillard's announcement of the new tax concession.
If you cannot see these clips, it will be because video is blocked by your network. To view the clips, access from home or from a public library, or from another network which allows viewing of video clips.
What they said...
'Money for uniforms? Oh, please. Just finance public schools properly'
Brenton White, from a letter published in The Sydney Morning Herald
'I believe having a school uniform gives people a sense of self, a sense of discipline, a sense of how to present yourself to the world'
The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard
The issue at a glance
On July 13, 2010, the new Labor Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, announced that the government was about to introduce tax concessions to assist
parents purchase school uniforms. The initiative has revived debate on the importance of school uniforms and also on the merits of the
government's tax concession. This is an extension of the taxation rebates currently available to parents of school-aged children to reduce the cost
of their children's education. All such rebates are dependent of the parents' income and the number of children the parents have.
Parents will be able to claim up to 50 per cent of the cost of uniforms in addition to the existing education expenses included in the scheme. They
are eligible for a rebate of up to $390 per child each year for primary school child or $779 per child each year for those in secondary
school.
The existing items parents can claim under the Education Tax refund include the cost of computers and computer equipment, textbooks and
trade tools for secondary school trade courses.
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