Pittsburgh councilman sponsoring tax on college students, medical patients for infrastructure repair

PITTSBURGH — A proposal in Pittsburgh City Council would tax college students and medical patients for infrastructure repair money.

The tax would raise millions of dollars for the city, but there is already some push back.

As the city scrambles to figure out how to pay for infrastructure improvements, Pittsburgh councilman Ricky Burgess proposed a 1% tax on people seeking higher education at Pittsburgh colleges, universities and advanced technical schools, and those receiving medical care in the city. Students we spoke with today had mixed reactions.

“It’s important the roads are safe,” said Danielle Deasy, a criminal justice major at Pitt. “We are also in a lot of debt, we pay a lot of money. So I don’t know, it’s a really hard situation.”

Deasy is from Greentree, and says Pitt is a walking campus, and that she isn’t sure taxing students feels fair.

“As a student I don’t drive anyway, I don’t go anywhere,” she said. “Especially if you’re from out of town, I don’t know how much you’re going anywhere.”

For a Pitt student paying in-state tuition at $38,000 per year, they’d pay an extra $380. For a Carnegie Mellon University student, paying $60,000 a year, they’d pay an extra $600.

Burgess called the extra tax “very modest” and estimated it could bring in more than $50 million each year.

Some students we talked to had questions for council.

“In general I support taxes to make that better,” said Kevin Logrande, a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon University. “But I feel also, without having data on this, there is other ways to get that money and rearrange the current budget so these infrastructure issues can be solved.”

Any students attending colleges, universities and advanced technical schools in the city would be required to pay. Additionally, people receiving services at hospitals, clinics, rehab facilities and “any other facility furnishing medical, therapeutic, psychological or vocational care” would face the extra cost. It would be applied to the full tuition amount at colleges and universities, and the full amount of medical bills.

Burgess said there would be no exemptions for low-income individuals.

The average hip replacement cost at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital was $94,224 according to the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council. Patients would be billed an extra $942 if this legislation were passed.

CMU declined to comment on the issue. A Pitt spokesperson told 11 News that Pitt values its longstanding partnership with the city, and said they’ll be looking over the legislation and talking with city leaders.

Stay with Channel 11 News as we continue to follow this proposed legislation.

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