[Avodah] School Tuition + Fundraising

[rabbirichwolpoe at gmail.com]

[Mod note: I let this conversation continue because of the bit about
mesayei'ah. We can't just discuss school payment structures on Avodah --
that's what Areivim is for! -micha]

Rabbi Akiva: :-)
> But I've heard arguments that under certain circumstances, the
> "scholarship donation" very well might be. Similarly, I have vague
> recollections (it was decades ago) that I was able to deduct the
> afterschool fees.
> Akiva Miller"

I was told many times
If any fee is required then it's not deductible, since it legally is
tuition. (That includes required journal ads). We had required scrip
one year (about $5000-$6000). One could BUY one's way out of course,
so it was not 100% coerced.

And if people are deducting required fees - then we cross from lack of
yosher into various forms of cheating. (No P'saq intended)

Arguably, schools that wink at this might be guilty mamash of mesaya
lidvar aveira.

Now if the scholarship is mamash voluntary it IS deductable. We do know
people who opted out their last year from this "voluntary" scholarship -
knowing that the school could no longer pressure the parents

KT
RRW

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