Pittsburg Mayor moving to tax university tuition

According to the Pittsburg Post-Gazette Mayor Luke Ravenstahl argues that area universities should help pay their "fair share" for city services even as universities decide "thanks, but no thanks":

He said yesterday their decision leaves him no choice but to ask for approval of the tax by City Council, where five of the nine members have said they will support what he calls the Fair Share Tax.

"I hope they reconsider and re-evaluate their position. If they truly want to protect their students, then they will accept this very reasonable proposal," the mayor said in a statement about his $5 million request [for contributions in lieu of taxes on tuition].

"But as it stands, their actions have left this administration with no choice but to pursue its only legally available option: the Fair Share Tax."

Council twice has delayed action to allow more talks about the tax, which would be 1 percent of a college student's tuition bill and is projected to raise about $16 million a year for the city. The tax would be the first of its kind in the country and is sure to face a lengthy legal challenge if it is implemented.