The tax reform bill being put forward in the House of Representatives spells disaster for those pursuing postgraduate degrees.

Previously, students seeking master’s and doctorate degrees did not have to count any tuition waivers from universities as taxable income. Only the stipend provided to them was taxed.

The proposed changes to our tax code would end this arrangement.

Graduate students living on a $20,000 stipend could end up paying taxes on incomes as high as 50 or $60,000 and higher yet for some.

Graduate students are already struggling to get by as it is. These reforms condemn their future and the future of higher education in this country.

Sixty percent of tuition reductions are given to those working in fields such as science, technology and engineering. The lack of support for education at all levels of government is alarming and harming our prosperity.

The United States is starting to lag behind the rest of the world, and it’s time to invest in our students so that we may invest in our future.

— Cade Olmstead