Tax Break For Students Sought In Calif. Bill

As tuition steadily climbs at California's public universities, low-income students turn to financial aid for help and high-income students to the family bank account. But middle-class students, who do not qualify for financial aid, often have nowhere to turn and simply don't enroll. A state lawmaker is hoping that a tax break of up to $500 per year for each student from a family earning $80,001 to $140,000 would help. "It won't cover their entire costs, but it's a positive step in the right direction to put more cash in the pockets of the working middle class," said Assemblyman Jim Beall, D-San Jose, who introduced AB1441 to benefit students at the University of California, California State University and the state's community colleges.