WASHINGTON, D.C. –The tax-relief package recently signed into law includes an important provision authored by U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, that makes the $250 teacher tax credit permanent. This provisionwill provide important tax relief to help cover the out-of-pocket expenses our nation’s teachers incur to improve the education of our children. Senator Collins authored the law that first created the $250 teacher tax deduction in 2002.

“In Maine, and throughout the country, dedicated teachers take on the challenge of educating our young people and helping them to realize their full potential,” said Senator Collins. “In spite of tight budgets and their own modest salaries, it is truly remarkable how often our teachers in Maine and throughout our country take money out of their own pockets to purchase classroom supplies for our children. I have visited more than two hundred schools in Maine, and everywhere I go I find teachers who sacrifice their own money to ensure that our nation’s children have the resources they need to receive a good, quality education. I am so pleased to announce that this important tax deduction has been made permanent and can continue to reimburse our nation’s educators for a small part of what they invest in our children's futures.”

The teacher tax credit allows teachers, teacher's aides, principals, and counselors to take an above-the-line deduction of up to $250 for books and supplies they purchase for their students. According to the National Education Association, the average public school teacher spends more than $400 annually on classroom materials.