THE Vice-Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University has given his backing to scrapping tuition fees in favour of a graduate tax.

Prof Michael Brown says a new system of funding university education is needed as he embarks on a cost-cutting programme.

JMU is taking 20% out of its £120m undergraduate budget, with £9m being cut this year and the same in 2011.

Undergraduate teaching budget makes up about 60% of the university’s total, with the rest made up of research and consultancy business, both in the UK and abroad.

The Daily Post can reveal Prof Brown has long held the view that a graduate tax is the fairest way of funding higher education.

It comes after Liberal Democrat business secretary Vince Cable voiced his support for the idea of a graduate tax.

In the 1980s, Prof Brown wrote a student support policy for the SDP – the forerunner to the Lib-Dems.

He said his policy document argued that there are two benefits from students attending university.

Individual benefits, but also gains to society.

The premise of the paper was that those who earn more individually benefiting themselves should pay a higher graduate tax.

“This was before the days of tuition fees. Depending on where they were on the scale, they should pay more.”