Today Liberal Democrats have voted to start a campaign with the purpose of replacing tuition fees with a graduate tax. This will definitely make the coalition government troubled. At the party's conference which took place in Liverpool, delegates made a motion to find out the "possibility to build cross-party support around replacing tuition fees and student loans with a graduate tax". Introduction of a graduate tax would make students with low income pay less for their study than students who earn more.
During the next few months university fees have been argued much about within the coalition. When an independent review led by Lord Browne is published the next month, tuition fees are expected to rise from £3,290 per year for undergraduates to £5,000 or £7,000.
According to custom papers, Simon Hughes, a deputy leader of Liberal Democrats Simon Hughes, says that they expect the abolition of tuition fees for a graduate tax. Vincent Cable, the business secretary, has also supports the idea of a graduate tax while the universities minister, David Willetts, a Conservative, considers that tuition fees should raise. In order to resolve the differences, the two parties decided to refrain from voting on this issue in parliament.
Former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell claimed that would he would rebel in case Liberal Democrats were to return on their policy of abolishing tuition fees. According to the University and College Union, any details of graduate tax plans were made by the Lib Dems.
Sally Hunt, UCU's general secretary, said: "Hardworking families who aspire for their children to go to university will judge any proposals on whether or not they make it more expensive to get a degree, not how the plans are called."
The survey by totaljobs.com revealed that out of nearly 500 students who were interrogated two-thirds would not study at universities if fees are raised up to £6,000. Similar proportion appeared to be against a graduate tax.
