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BM 61 – ESU supports student welfare : Student will not pay for the crisis

29.11.2011
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Title__ ESU supports student welfare : Student will not pay for the crisis _________________________________________

Point of the agenda______8.c_________________________

Proposed by:_ UNEF – FAGE ___________________

Seconded by:FEF, CSC, DSF, OH, CREUP, NUIS, VSS-UNES-USU, KSU _________________________________

 

           In the context of austerity policies, the French government chose to double the taxrate  on the health care system. By raising this rate from 3,5% to 7%, the government chose to inflict the crisis on students studying in France. The ESU, by this motion, wants to support French students in their will to see this tax removed. We strongly oppose this tax for the following reasons. At the same time the student’s health care public funding is threatened, and is bound to be lowered from round 53 € to round 49 € per student per year. No need to wonder if this decrease will signify an increase for student’s spending in health care tuition.

First of all this tax is not socially fair. The consequences will be harder for students from low social background. The less you have, the more the proportion of your budget this tax will represent. This is particularly unacceptable in a national situation where equity in access to higher education has decreased for the last 3 years, when 73% of students have to get a part-time job in order to pay their studies or when 17% of students haven’t got any health care system at all. Besides the students who can’t afford to be cured will have more difficulties to study in decent conditions.

Secondly this tax is inefficient.  Many students cannot afford to pay the price of health care. Thus, the price for the society will be even worse when students will get ill .

Thirdly this tax is also a real danger for public sanitary conditions. In France nowadays 34% of the students declared renouncing health care due to the price. Some other figures are even more alarming: 20% of the students declared that their health deteriorated within the last 5 years. Weakening the health of young people right now would imply the price for the French social security to be even more important when our generation will be older.

We are also shocked by the choice made by the government. We consider free access to health care system as a public good. By raising this kind of tax, the choice made by government is just to make health an issue when it possible to raise money. Other choices are possible and the ESU doesn’t accept such a sacrifice of access to education for everybody.

Concerning the emergency of the situation of the growing sanitary crises in France, students ask for an exoneration of this tax, a public funded plan for student health prevention and a more inclusive access to health care system for the students who are currently excluded from it because of their social situation.

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