Ron Paul to Senate: Give Homeschoolers a (Tax) Break

Campaign for Liberty Chairman Ron Paul issued the following statement in support of adding a provision allowing families to use “529” savings accounts for homeschooling expenses to H.R. 1994. H.R. 1994 makes changes to rules regarding retirement savings. The provision would allow special needs families to use 529 funds to pay for counseling and tutoring for their children.

The House Ways and Means Committee unanimously agreed to add the 529 expansion to H.R. 1994, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stripped it out at the behest of the teachers’ unions.

Ron Paul– “Allowing parents to use funds saved in a 529 account  enables more parents to homeschool, and allows parents already homeschooling to improve their children’s education. This simple change in the law would thus enable more parents to provide their children a quality education that meets the child’s unique needs. The language stripped out of the House bill would also benefit children with special needs without increasing federal spending or imposing new mandates on local schools.

It is shameful that Speaker Pelosi put the demands of the teachers’ union—who have a vested interest in making it difficult for parents to pursue educational opportunities outside of government schools—ahead of the needs of America’s parents and children. It is especially shameful the Speaker’s actions will make it more difficult for parents of special needs children to get those children access to quality tutoring and counseling services. I urge the Senate to correct Speaker Pelosi’s mistake and add the language allowing families to use money saved in a 529 account for homeschooling expenses to H.R. 1994.

For more on Section 529 see Dr. Paul’s 2017 column below:

This week the House of Representatives will vote on a package of bills making the temporary tax cuts contained in last year’s tax reform bill permanent and making additional tax law changes. The bills will likely pass in the House, but will almost certainly be filibustered in the Senate if the Senate leadership tries to bring them to the floor.

The GOP tax plan does offset some of the damage caused by federal control of education by making it easier for parents to escape failing government schools or “edexit.” It accomplishes this by allowing money saved in a tax-free 529 education savings account to be used for homeschooling expenses.

This provision will help homeschooling families and inspire more families to consider homeschooling. Homeschooling parents must not only pay for all their children’s education expenses, they also must subsidize government schools via property taxes and other taxes. A commitment to homeschooling may also require a parent to limit or even forgo outside employment.

Despite the financial costs, more families are choosing to homeschool. This is due to increasing dissatisfaction with government schools, greater public acceptance of homeschooling, and the availability of quality online homeschooling curricula, such as my Ron Paul Curriculum.

My curriculum provides students with a well-rounded education including rigorous programs in history, mathematics, and the physical and natural sciences. The curriculum also provides instruction in personal finance. Students can develop superior oral and verbal communication skills via intensive writing and public speaking courses. Students also get the opportunity to create and run their own internet businesses.

The government and history sections emphasize Austrian economics, libertarian political theory, and the history of liberty. However, unlike government schools, my curriculum never puts ideological indoctrination ahead of education.

Unlike government schools, and even many private schools, my curriculum addresses the crucial role religion played in the development of Western civilization. However, the materials are drafted in such a way that parents of any or no religious belief can feel comfortable using the curriculum.

Interactive forums allow students to engage with and learn from each other. The forums ensure students are actively engaged in their education as well as give them an opportunity to interact with their peers outside of a formal setting.

The latest Republican tax plan has laudable features, such as allowing the use of tax-free education savings accounts for homeschooling. However, as long as Congress refuses to offset tax cuts with spending cuts, the benefits of tax cuts will be limited and short-lived. Therefore, while all lovers of liberty should support any and all tax cuts, we must work to pressure Congress to cut spending. Bringing the troops home and shutting down the Department of Education are two good places to start.

Parents interested in my homeschooling curriculum can find out more about it at ronpaulcurriculum.com.