[Chad]

@Theashe ya, that's one of the biggest problems I see with programs like this, they base the 50k on the parents. Some parents, even if they have the money, don't pay for their child's tuition so the child is on their own to pay for it. And they get penalized by this rule.

[mike_302]

Originally Posted by Theashe

If I'm understanding that correctly, then people who don't qualify for the free tuition program (their parents make over $50k combined) won't get the nice tax float year after year that pays back most of the cost of school for them.

My parents make over $50k per year, but I work and pay for school with my own money. Luckily I graduate this year, but other students in my position may wind up getting the shaft. That tax float returned $4500 to me last year.

But I could be understanding the article wrong; it's been known to happen.

On the topic of this tax credit for tuition, I'm personally of the opinion that if money needs to be saved anywhere, it can be done on this item. It's insanity, how much tax credit I've accumulated for paying tuition. I won't pay tax for several years after graduating because of the accumulation of this credit, and for people who's parents can easily afford to pay tuition, it's a bit jaw dropping, how much they get to write off.

This isn't to say it's being done perfectly by eliminating the credit for everyone --- but this tax credit did need to be re-evaluated... Maybe it will go too far in the other direction by eliminating it, but... Meh.

[mike_302]

Originally Posted by Chad

@Theashe ya, that's one of the biggest problems I see with programs like this, they base the 50k on the parents. Some parents, even if they have the money, don't pay for their child's tuition so the child is on their own to pay for it. And they get penalized by this rule.

I honestly don't know this kind of situation very well, so I have to wonder if there's a fair discussion to be had here: I don't know what the relationship is between these parents and their children is, but personally I'd sit my parents down and have a chat with them if they were a) Making enough to contribute to my education (I'm not saying paying for it all, but contributing) but refusing to do so, and b) Preventing me from obtaining the same financial support as others less fortunate. There are ways of solving that problem (emancipation), and it may be a reasonable recourse to discuss, if the parents are insistent on their child going about post-secondary education on their own dime... I know one person who did this from my time in University, and it may seem odd to ask to be technically divorced from your parents, but it's extremely reasonable if the child presents the financial motivation for doing so...

Am I out to lunch? Am I ignorant of something? I admit, this was not my personal situation, so I probably said something that offended someone, in which case I apologize...

[starfish]

That is the same problem as with OSAP, though. The amount of OSAP you get has always been based on your parents' income until you are four years out of high school. During the first four years, there is a specific dollar amount that parents are expected to contribute (which is based on income I believe) and this dollar amount will be decreased with the new budget. Now, there is a procedure you can go through if your parents aren't helping to pay for your tuition for some reason - I really don't know the details but it involves submitting supporting documentation, etc. I don't know how effective this is, but it's not a new problem.

Also, "free tuition" is kind of a misnomer. They're estimating that the grants students in this income bracket will get will exceed the amount of tuition, based on the average tuition. So, if your tuition is more than average (e.g. engineering students, anybody in a professional program, etc) you may well exceed the average and not have tuition fully paid for.

Students in higher income brackets will also qualify for grants, just not enough to fully cover the cost of the average tuition.

Personally, I'd prefer having the money upfront than get tax credits nine years later while paying thousands of dollars of interest on loans in the meantime.

[Allan]

Another socialist move by the Liberals who think that the budget will balance itself.

Good luck to future students who will graduate debt-free, but won't have jobs in Canada.

[GeorgeLucas]

Good luck to future students who will graduate debt-free, but won't have jobs in Canada.

There was very few entry jobs for new graduates without experience even before the new recession. You give the liberals too much credit.

[GeorgeLucas]

There's some dude that made a petition to forgive existing OSAP loans of students from low income families:

https://www.change.org/p/kathleen-wy...our-osap-loans

More info: http://www.ctvnews.ca/video?playlistId=1.28 05373

[topkek]

Current university student voted for OLP/Wynne in 2014 and got shafted.