Support a Retrospective Graduate Tax

As the number of people seeking the benefits of higher education inevitably rise, the costs of providing it via general taxation have become difficult to sustain.

This is a simple petition to the UK Government to ask them to implement a retrospective graduate tax to fund at least part of the costs of teaching in Universities. This would replace the cumbersome, daunting and unnecessary student tuition fees and loans.

This would share the cost of higher education between the past, present and future generations of graduates who directly benefit and the general taxpayer who may not personally benefit.

Of course, transitional arrangements would have to be made for current students or graduates with outstanding loans, and for those who have already piad them off. And the position of graduates from Welsh and Scottish universities would have to be resolved. This petition is about the principle.

We believe it is administratively simpler, fairer and easier to administer.

It would also prevent Universities competing on price. Competition between Universities on quality already provides an adequate level of incentives to improve, without introducing socially regressive and divisive financial competition for places.