I went to your original article. Since 2017, it looks like I was the first one to clap for. Sigh. Medium relegated another great idea to the dust bin.

Your proposal was similar to mine. There indeed be different ways to get the same effect. Your "semester hour" has merit over my "certificate/degree" approach, as even a little education helps people out later in life.

In Canada, tuitions pay about 15% of total cost of higher education. The provincial governments pick up the rest. There's no guarantee that the graduate will work in the sponsoring province. That is why these "extra taxes" need to go directly to the college or university.

In Canada, people still cannot escape student loans through bankruptcy.