Universities Are Tax-Exempt for a Reason

null Dec. 28, 2023 12:43 pm ETOn the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Mass., Dec. 12. Photo: Mel Musto/Bloomberg NewsRichard Vedder writes that because of “the corruption of American higher education,” government should impose property and capital-gains taxes on colleges and universities (“Harvard Should Pay Its Fair Share,” op-ed, Dec. 23). If there were ever a case of throwing the baby out with the bath, this is it.Governments in the U.S. have long recognized that nonprofits should be tax-exempt because they provide for the public good, things that would otherwise need to be performed by government. Schools, churches, hospitals, parks, social services and research enterprises are among those organizations. Why should universities be singled out and taxed on earnings that support cures for cancer and technologies ranging from computing to national defense?Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8Sponsored OffersTop Resume:

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Opinion Dec 29, 2023 Add to Reading List

Universities Are Tax-Exempt for a Reason

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Dec. 28, 2023 12:43 pm ET

On the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Mass., Dec. 12. Photo: Mel Musto/Bloomberg News

Richard Vedder writes that because of “the corruption of American higher education,” government should impose property and capital-gains taxes on colleges and universities (“Harvard Should Pay Its Fair Share,” op-ed, Dec. 23). If there were ever a case of throwing the baby out with the bath, this is it.

Governments in the U.S. have long recognized that nonprofits should be tax-exempt because they provide for the public good, things that would otherwise need to be performed by government. Schools, churches, hospitals, parks, social services and research enterprises are among those organizations. Why should universities be singled out and taxed on earnings that support cures for cancer and technologies ranging from computing to national defense?