Brett Mason (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Education) Share this | Hansard source

The Tax Laws Amendment (Education Refund) Bill 2008 amends the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to introduce the education tax refund. The education tax refund will provide a 50 per cent refundable tax offset for eligible education expenses up to a maximum of $750 for children undertaking primary education studies and $1,500 for children undertaking secondary education studies. The coalition will support this bill.

The education tax refund is a budget measure which has its origins in a 2007 Labor Party election policy. The education tax refund will apply to eligible expenses incurred from 1 July 2008 and will therefore be claimable from 1 July 2009. Eligible expenses for the education tax refund include the purchase, lease or hire-purchase of computers and computer related equipment, computer software, home internet connections, school textbooks and other paper based school learning material, and prescribed tools of trade.