Is It Time for Colleges to Start Paying Taxes?

In an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal, James Piereson and Naomi Schaefer Riley argue that its time for educational institutions to pay their fare share of taxes to support the communities in which they reside.

1 minute read

August 21, 2013, 5:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


"As cities and towns struggle to pay for public services, it's hard to blame public officials and taxpayers for wondering why well-off educational institutions aren't sharing the load for police and fire departments, sanitation and road maintenance," write Piereson and Schaefer. "The reason they don't dates to 1917, when Congress decided that educational institutions, which then operated on a far more modest scale, should be exempt from federal income taxes."

"In the intervening decades, some schools like Johns Hopkins, Yale and Duke have worked out Pilot (payment in lieu of taxes) programs with cities or towns," they add. "But these donations fall well below what the universities would owe in taxes." 

In lieu of Pilot deals, which are "often secretive and contentious", the authors suggest "it's time to treat universities like for-profit enterprises." 

Monday, August 19, 2013 in The Wall Street Journal

Black and white Rideshare Pick-Up Zone sign

The Slow Death of Ride Sharing

From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.

June 1, 2023 - Human Transit

Red on white 'Room for Rent, Inquire Inside' sign

In Most U.S. Cities, Archaic Laws Limit Roommate Living

Critics argue laws preventing unrelated adults from living in the same home fail to understand the modern American household.

May 24, 2023 - The Atlantic

Vancouver Chuck Wolfe

Ten Signs of a Resurgent Downtown

In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe continues his exploration of a holistic and practical approach to post-pandemic urban center recovery, anchored in local context and community-driven initiatives that promote livability, safety, and sustainability.

May 24, 2023 - GeekWire

Vacant storefront in historic building on Powell Street in San Francisco, California

Few Landlords Pay San Francisco Vacancy Tax

Less than 3 percent of properties potentially subject to a new vacancy tax were filed as vacant in the last year, but empty storefronts in the city persist.

3 hours ago - San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial view of manufactured home being dropped off or moved by red truck in mobile home park

In Spite of Affordability Crisis, Richmond Rejects Manufactured Housing Plan

After declaring a housing crisis, the Virginia capital’s city council voted against a proposed manufactured home warehouse that would distribute replacements for aging manufactured housing stock.

5 hours ago - Greater Greater Washington

Graphic for '1000 Joys of Planning' with The Planning Commission Podcast

A Planning Commission Podcast Journey: The 1,000 Joys of Planning

The Commissioners explore the facets of the planning profession that fill their cups with joy.

7 hours ago - The Planning Commission Podcast

Project Manager III

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency

UDO Transportation Planner

City of Charlotte - Charlotte Area Transit

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.