Agudath Israel Official Sees Hope for Income Tax Credits for Non-public School Tuition Fees

The “official approval” by the Nixon administration of federal income tax credits for parents of non-public-school children “encourages us to believe that this type of legislation will be enacted into law in the near future,” it was asserted today by Rabbi Moshe Sherer, executive president of Agudath Israel of America. He met at the White House, in his capacity as national chairman of Citizen’s Relief for Education by Income Tax (CREDIT), with Lewis A. Engman, special counsel to the President, and later praised a letter endorsing such legislation sent by Caspar W. Weinberger, director of the Office of Management and Budget, to Rep. Wilbur D. Mills (D. Ark.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. CREDIT claims to represent five million children of all faiths.

Rabbi Sherer said that under CREDIT’S plan, proposed four months ago and followed by similar bills by 53 Congressmen, parents of non-public school children would receive $400 in income tax credit per year per child, Parents of pupils in elementary and secondary Jewish day schools would get $10-20 million annually, he estimated. Critics of the plan, who include non-Orthodox Jewish leaders, call it an illegal attempt to skirt the Constitutional separation of church and state.

Rabbi Sherer added to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he was pleased to see the administration “putting its full weight” behind the legislation. The Orthodox leader, saying CREDIT representatives will attend both national political convention this summer, predicted that while the Republicans will “endorse tax credits.” the Democrats will make “a vague statement of support for non public-school children.”