How can tax policy contribute to making lifelong learning a reality?

Registration is now open for an international conference on tax incentives for education and training. The first EU conference on this issue will provide innovative perspectives on the trends and developments in tax incentives used by governments to promote education and training. The conference will take place in Brussels on 22 September 2009.
The event will be jointly organised by Cedefop, the EU's reference centre for vocational education and training, and the European Commission. The conference brings together experts from various Member States and from non-EU countries.
The conference will build on the results of a recent study by Cedefop on the use of tax incentives to support education and training in Germany, France, Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands and Finland. Participants will exchange good practice on the tax treatment of education and training and will discuss research results on the impact of tax systems on education and training decisions as well as ways to encourage lifelong learning.
The conference provides a unique opportunity to understand better tax benefits for learners and can help decision makers in forming taxation policies to support sustainable and adequate funding for lifelong learning. Many EU Member States have tax incentives to increase participation in education and training. Conference website: Tax incentives for education and training. Register here for the conference. Cedefop study, May 2009 "Using tax incentives to promote education and training" .
Now it is time to address the question of whether potential reforms are needed to make tax incentives to favour lifelong learning more effective. New fiscal constraints make a debate on adequate, sustainable and effective funding for lifelong learning more necessary. In times of financial and economic crisis, it is essential to secure and even increase public and private investment in education and training.