Arizona Expands Private School Tuition Tax Credits

Taxpayers receive a dollar-for-dollar reduction on their taxes for up to $750 donated to a school tuition organization.

Arizona is expanding its private school tuition tax creditsonly a day after the U.S. Supreme Court found the program legal, The Arizona Republic reports. In a bill passed by a 27-1 vote, the state Senate has increased donation limits from $500 to $750. The bill also removes donation limits for corporations and insurance companies.

The tax credits allow Arizona taxpayers to divert their income to school tuition organizations and get a dollar-for-dollar reduction on their taxes. According to The Republic, state residents moved $51 million in such a way in 2009. According to the Arizona Department of Revenue, the limit increases will have an impact on the state income tax and state, county and local severance tax collections, reducing them by $25 million and $29 million respectively.

Supporters of the program say it is a money-saving measure for the fiscally crippled state, because it saves the school system $5,200 for every student that transfers out of a public school.

A fiscal analysis of the bill noted that the state would break even from the proposed changes if about 3,300 students transferred to private schools in 2012.

source:http://www.educationnews.org/ednews_today/153306.html

CBI to probe if 2G scam compromised national security

The CBI has begun probing if the 2G spectrum scam compromised the country''s internal security and would apprise the Supreme Court of its findings on March 15, the agency told a Delhi court today.

"The issue of national security has also been raised by (Janata Party chief Subramanian) Swamy before the Supreme Court. CBI is presently examining the said matter and will file a progress report before the Supreme Court on March 15," the CBI told Special Judge Pradeep Chaddah, in its report.

CBI made a plea asking the special court to discontinue proceedings before it. the court, however, listed the matter for further hearing on March 17.

The agency contended that it has already registered the case on the 2G spectrum allocation scam and was investigating it while an FIR in connection with the case was before another court of Special Judge O P Saini.

"CBI has filed a report regarding Swamy''s apprehensions of threat to national security. It has been submitted in the report that matter is now pending before the Supreme Court," the court said.

CBI said it has begun probing the threat to country''s internal security as per the concerns raised by Swamy, who had come to the court seeking a probe into the scam.

He had also sought the court''s direction to appoint him as a public prosecutor to help the agency in probing the case and trying the accused.

Swamy, however, could not appear before it today as he was attending the 2G spectrum matter in the Supreme Court. His counsel Tarun Goomber asked the lower court to exempt him from personal appearance today, which the court allowed.

CBI had earlier told the court that it was not aware of the threat to national security posed by allocation of 2G spectrum to some telecom firms which subsequently off-loaded their shares to global firms with links to Pakistan.

"We (CBI) are not aware of the details of national security aspect as raised by Swamy in his application as a copy of the complaint by him is not available with us," CBI had said.

But, CBI filed its report today as the court had specifically asked it earlier if their investigation also covered the national security aspect as raised by Swamy.

source:http://in.news.yahoo.com

Apex court nod for common MBBS entrance test

The Supreme Court on Monday paved the way for implementing the Medical Council of India's (MCI) notification providing for a common entrance test for undergraduate medical courses leading to the award of MBBS degrees.

An apex court bench of Justice R.V. Raveendran and Justice A.K. Patnaik, while giving the go ahead to the MCI, said that anyone aggrieved by thenotification can challenge it in court.

"If you (MCI) think you are independent and don't require any approval from the centre, then you can go ahead with its implementation and if you think you need approval from the government, then go to it (government)," the bench said.

The court further told the MCI that if it has already obtained the approval of the health ministry for issuing the notification providing for commonentrance test for undergraduate medical courses, then it could go ahead with its implementation.

The MCI on October 21, 2010 issued a notificationproviding for common entrance test for undergraduate medical courses all over the country. However, this notification was kept in abeyance in the face of stiff opposition by the Tamil Nadu government. 

The state government subsequently obtained a stay against the notification from the Madras High Court.

The apex court said that it could not continue hearing the matter. It said it will not say anything in the matter and if the apex body regulating medical education in the country thinks that it can implement its notification, then it can go ahead and do so.

source:http://indiaedunews.net/Medical/Apex_court_nod_for_common_MBBS_entrance_test_13651/

CBI to investigate law college recognitions granted by BCI

New Delhi: Several affiliations that had been granted by the Bar Council of India (BCI) to various law colleges in the past five years are being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI).

BCI vice chairman R. Dhanpal Raj had been arrested by the CBI from his residence in Tamil Nadu after a probe into the affiliation that had been granted to Global Law College in Ghaziabad.

According to sources, cash amounting to about Rs.75 lakh had been recovered during the raids conducted against BCI officials that had been arrested in connection with the case. R. Dhanpal Raj has been remanded by the court in police custody till February 25, 2011.

An FIR had been filed against a member of the Bar Council of Delhi, R.S. Rana, who had allegedly entered into a criminal conspiracy by demanding money from Manish Tyagi in order to conduct the inspection of a law college and giving a favorable report for granting recognition to the college. A trap had been laid by the CBI and Rana had been arrested with Rs.1 lakh cash in his hands.

An anticipatory bail petition by R. Dhanpal Raj had been rejected by the Supreme Court.

source:http://indiaedunews.net/Law/CBI_to_investigate_law_college_recognitions_granted_by_BCI_13568/