Nursing as Tax Exempt Profession

Nurses General Nursing

Published

  • Specializes in ED, CTSurg, IVTeam, Oncology.

Because of the huge nursing shortage, should nursing be made a federally tax free profession, as a way of encouraging more people to join it's thinning ranks?

Yes or no?

Thanks for all responses.

Ralph

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

No Never

Paying taxes is your responsibility and privilege. Enjoy it.

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN

1 Article; 2,011 Posts

Specializes in ER/Trauma.

Income taxation = theft of property.

liberatarianly yours,

Roy :)

indigo girl

5,173 Posts

Specializes in Too many to list.
Income taxation = theft of property.

liberatarianly yours,

Roy :)

I SO AGREE and for the same reason!!!!

Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, LTC.

No, not b/c there is a shortage. I don't like paying taxes, period. Not b/c I'm stingy, I would prefer to have a say where my money goes. (And who argree's 100% w/ any politician?)

sunnyjohn

2,450 Posts

Let me tell you about my recurring dream- A postcard size tax form that takes 10 minutes to fill out, put a stamp on and walk to the mailbox. A simple tax code with no loopholes that doesn't require me to fork over 33%+ (I'm being generous) to an Uncle Sam, I never meet and doesn't seem to like me!

We have too many tax loopholes as it is and the dudes/dudettes in DC and state office are spending money like drunken sailors!

fergus51

6,620 Posts

I don't like paying taxes either, but I recognize that it is my responsibility as a resident of this country. So, no there shouldn't be any tax exempt professions as far as I'm concerned if they meet income requirements.

elkpark

14,633 Posts

(Mildly) interesting question/proposition, but the shortage doesn't exist because of a lack of people interested in going into nursing ... Nearly every nursing program has long waiting lists. (Further) incentives to attract people to the field won't do anything except create longer waiting lists.

BTW, I'm with teeituptom on the basic "taxes" question -- IMO, it is our responsibility as citizens of a (supposedly :)) civilized nation, and I'm happy and proud to contribute my fair share. (Which doesn't mean I agree with everything in the current tax code, but I'm talking about the basic principle here ...)

llg, PhD, RN

13,469 Posts

Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

No.

(1) Taxation is necessary for the provision of necessary services (e.g. fire & police protection, public roads, public schools, etc.) If nobody paid taxes, those things wouldn't exist. We all have an obligation to pay our fair share. I don't enjoy paying my taxes, but recognize that no one has found an alternative way to provide the services we need.

(2) Where would it stop? Would we try to remedy every workforce distribution issue with tax exemptions? Police? Fire? Teachers? Pharmacists? Physical Therapists? All of these people are in short-supply in my town. Would they ALL get the exemption?

(3) Rebellion would break out as some people would get exempt and others wouldn't. It would get ugly.

(4). How long would the exemption last? Would our society face a series of temporary exemptions as first one career and then another faced a shortage. That would cause economic instability.

(5) What would happen once the shortage was resolved and the tax exemption eliminated? More economic chaos.

(6) Who would decide which professions merited a tax exemption today? That's a whole other can of worms that could cause turmoil within our society.

All in all ... it's one of the worst ideas for solving the nursing shortage I have heard in a long time.

Just my $0.015 -- That's my $.02 after taxes.

llg

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN

1 Article; 2,011 Posts

Specializes in ER/Trauma.
No.

(1) Taxation is necessary for the provision of necessary services (e.g. fire & police protection, public roads, public schools, etc.) If nobody paid taxes, those things wouldn't exist. We all have an obligation to pay our fair share. I don't enjoy paying my taxes, but recognize that no one has found an alternative way to provide the services we need.

That's not true:

The first federal income tax was imposed by Congress in 1862, to finance the Union's waging of the Civil War. The Civil War income tax was repealed in 1872, but a new income tax was enacted in the late 1800s.

However, the Supreme Court struck down the income tax in 1895.

Untill 1913 and the ratification of the 16th Amendment, there was no income tax.

Are you saying we didn't have roads, firemen, police etc. untill the ratification of the 16th Amendment?

If I stick a gun to your face and take half the money in your wallet, use that money to feed myself or take my kid to the doctor, is it right? Or how about I donate it to charity? I'm using the money for a good purpose.

Ofcourse it's an entierly different argument of why should the government have to provide for schools and hospitals etc. ;)

Eliminating income tax for nurses just might make more people take up the profession - as it'll certaily make the profession very attractive. But I don't think the problem of the current nursing shortage is that anyways. Besides, we need to overcome the bottleneck of too few nurse educators and insitutions with limited capacities.

Besides - everyone can't become a nurse.

HeartsOpenWide, RN

1 Article; 2,889 Posts

Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

I think that is a pretty lame incentive. If people want to become nurses they will. There are enough people that do want to become nurses but are stuck on waiting lists. The desire to become a nurse is not a problem, it is the lack of clinical training to get all those in who do. I am not sure I would want a nurse who got her job over a tax cut incentive...IMHO. Incentive? Better pay and respect. There are plenty of RN's that just are not working as RNs.....

HeartsOpenWide, RN

1 Article; 2,889 Posts

Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
I SO AGREE and for the same reason!!!!

So when you call the police they can not come to your house, and you can not drive your car on the road, you better home school you kids, and if your house catches fire grab your garden hose.....if you do not contribute to the system then do not expect it to help you.

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