Right now, the Utah Legislature is considering a bill that, if passed, would repeal the sales tax on textbooks.
While the sales tax on textbooks would only end up being about $60 a year for people who spend $400 per semester on their books, any break for students is a welcome one. After cutting $300 million from higher education this legislative session, anything that would reduce the cost of education for struggling students would be appreciated.
Textbook prices are becoming ridiculous, and with publishers realizing the benefits of putting out new editions every year-whether or not they are really necessary for students-the opportunities to buy used books in certain disciplines are becoming rare.
Students should not be punished monetarily because they want to learn, and a sales tax on textbooks-regardless of how large or small-is a deterrent to education. This bill will also go to the long-term benefit of the state of Utah because having a more educated job force will help the economy of the future.
While some would argue about lost tax revenue, the fact is that if students were left with $20 or so more after checking out at the University Bookstore, they would likely spend it on other student necessities, which would still be applicable for the sales tax.
There are some concerns about whether or not this tax exemption would only apply to university bookstores or whether all book retailers would be able to claim the same privilege. While it would be nice to see the tax exemption given to all bookstores, we encourage this legislation to be passed even if it is ultimately limited to very few retailers in the state of Utah.
Even if only campus bookstores get the tax-free status, this legislation would ultimately benefit students. While alternative book retailers might be somewhat disadvantaged in some respects if they were not able to claim the tax-exempt status, there are many other areas in which they are the cheaper option-so students would have the choice of where they wanted to purchase their school materials.
Anything that can help college students afford their education should be of the utmost importance. With only a few days left in the legislative session, there is a possibility that this bill will not become law simply because both houses won’t have a chance to vote on it. We implore legislators to consider this bill and do their best to get it through before the session closes.