Albany, NY – Gov. Spitzer Pushes Tuition Tax Deduction

Albany, NY – Gov. Eliot Spitzer is renewing his push for a $1,000 tax deduction for middle- and working-class families sending children to private schools, a measure state legislators did not support for this year's budget.

"This is for many people a highly contentious issue, but I believe this is an appropriate way to help parents who want to do what every parent wants to do, which is to give his or her child the best possible education," Spitzer said.

Spitzer said his proposal would be similar to what he proposed last year — that families with annual incomes not exceeding $125,000 get a $1,000 income tax deduction per child. That would cost the state $25 million, said Christine Pritchard, a spokeswoman for Spitzer.

Parents who send children to Shaarei Arazim in Rockland County want an Orthodox Jewish education, said Eli Moskovitz, executive director the school. "There's no option, as far as they're concerned, to send their kids to public schools," he said.

The school charges $14,000 a year, Moskovitz said, and many parents probably are paying 20 percent or more of their annual income in tuition. [democratandchronicle]