I'm babysitting (help) so I'll explain my conflicting views while I have a minute's quiet.
For arguments:
It will, in theory, boost activity in the help & requests section if people can require or ask for payment.
I agree we shouldn't have rules in place just because we don't want people to cheat in school - that's none of our business.
Arguments against:
The support section is the one I like the most. It was what first drew me to the site and started me off on staff. I still look after the section and moderate it as though I was a support sectional. I feel like that forum as a whole shouldn't be somewhere that people browse in hopes of gaining financially from
offering knowledge and help. Just my personal feelings on the section.
Points to consider:
Offering/Asking: I think that if we do "drop" the rule we should allow people to offer a payment or small donation as a thanks for time but not allow people to post threads asking for payment in return for help or post on threads which do not offer payment asking for payment. i.e. someone asks for help with their english homework and offer no payment; people shouldn't be allowed to reply with "yeah I will for 5$". I think that takes the whole spirit and point of the support forum.
Assignments/Homework: I think we should consider the difference between these and just note that there is a difference? Maybe, idk I'm going off on a tangent.