I used to live in Pittsburgh with so many other of my friends. All of us have moved away because of the lack of jobs. We have watched this mayor from afar hoping it would not be the same old Pgh politics but....this type of move smacks to old politics. Pgh is notorious for hitting any business that is doing well. Education is a wonderful and thriving business in Pittsburgh mainly because the Universities have been left alone. But, now because the political powers can't smartly find their way out of the hole they continue to dig themselves, they turn to the same tactics which have continued to bury any thriving business in the city...tax the hell out of it. I know it is only 1% but that will just be the beginning. I hope that everyone with half a brain that must vote on this issue will shoot it down like they did in RI. I also hope that the leadership at Pitt, CMU, Chatham, Duquesne, and Carlow will collectively make their disapproval known to this type of action. This is also not a very smart move for a guy who wants to be re-elected and these universities are probably the largest collective employer in the city. Just my two cents.

Sure colleges use city services but so do other public bodies. I say tax or fee private tax exempt organizations for services onlybased on usage. This will encourage less usage and purchase of real estate that is not needed. Public colleges are public and should not pay taxes or fees but private organizations, either colleges, non-profits, hospitals, etc. are independent of the government and should pay their way. No way students should pay a tax because there are parts of the college that are not supported by tuition and public students in particular are taxpayers attending a taxpayer owned institution and are already supporting the public interest through the taxes their families pay. Also, way single out higher education? All private non-profits should support the city that hosts them.
Frank X. Viggiano,
Mahtomedi, Minnesota

I'd rather tax churches than colleges - especially mega-churchs that occupy huge tracts of land and that contribute NOTHING to the tax base while consuming services!

Ahahahaha! Mayor Ravenstahl is a funny guy. Good luck with that proposal.