WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Senate has given final approval to a package of
necessary tax, trade and health policy extensions that includes legislation,
authored by Senator Susan Collins, to provide a $250 above-the-line tax
deduction to teachers who spend their own money on school supplies. According
to surveys by the National Education Association, teachers spend, on average,
$443 per year on classroom supplies out of their pockets.
“In spite of tight budgets and their own modest salaries, many of our
nation’s teachers open their wallets to purchase school supplies to give their
students the best education possible,” said Senator Collins. “I have visited
more than 150 schools in Maine, and everywhere I go, I find teachers who are
spending their own money to improve their professional qualifications and to
improve the educational experiences of their students by supplementing
classroom supplies. This $250 tax credit is a small but appropriate means of
recognizing them for a job well done.”
In 2002, Congress enacted the Teacher Tax Relief Act, authored by Senator
Collins. This tax provision expired in 2005. If Congress had not acted to extend this
important law, many of our nation’s educators may have faced a tax increase
when completing their 2006 tax returns.