It’s Time to Make Colleges Pay Property Tax. Voluntary alternative arrangements are no longer getting the job done.

James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal ^ | January 31, 2024 | Walt Gardner

[karpov]

Although the Ivies and other elite colleges and universities in the U.S. are financial titans, they are registered with the Internal Revenue Service as 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organizations. As a result, their vast property holdings are exempt from taxation in all 50 states. The rationale for this status is that higher education is an inherent public good. At least that has been the assumption under which this country has long operated.

But this argument has increasingly been called into question by events over the last few years, culminating in the headline-making responses by university presidents to a recent congressional panel. It’s clear by now that what transpires on many campuses is more indoctrination than education. As Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan put it last month (quoting CNN’s Fareed Zakaria), colleges “have gone from being centers of excellence to institutions pushing political agendas.” Since that is the case, such institutions don’t deserve their special treatment. They have not held up their end of the bargain.

This state of affairs may explain in part what New York State lawmakers hope to accomplish where higher-ed tax policy is concerned. A bill introduced last month by Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani would eliminate enormous property-tax breaks for Columbia University and N.Y.U., both of which have expanded to become among New York City’s top-10 largest property owners. Yet, whatever their motives, lawmakers are sending a not-so-subtle message that these institutions can’t have it both ways. They can’t continue to avoid most taxes while failing so spectacularly to serve the public interest.

[Ford4000]

OTOH, the left has turned the nonprofit sector into a tax-subsidized political activism bonanza. Except for true social service organizations (including churches) it ought to be eliminated.

[Ford4000]

I vote for eliminating the antitrust exemption for accreditors.

[T.B. Yoits]

Jeffrey Epstein was directly connected to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) and Harvard. He even had an office at Harvard.

https://lawandcrime.com/jeffrey-epstein-2/heres-what-jeffrey-epstein-was-doing-at-harvard-after-giving-the-university-multi-million-dollar-gifts/

[LadyDoc]

this is a stealth way to force churches to pay taxes.

And churches that have schools/outreach ministries etc. will be destroyed first, then the small churches will follow.

[dfwgator]

Churches that engage in politics should be taxed.