College Students to Get Some Relief from Pricy Textbooks

None by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News) College students throughout the state should see their textbook costs decrease slightly, thanks to a group of University of Utah students. Student leaders, including Student Body President Spencer Pearson, devised a campaign to remove the sales tax from college textbooks. They took their idea to other campuses in the state, and then to the Capitol.

"Over the last decade or so, textbooks have been increasing at twice the rate of inflation, and it is really becoming a burden for a lot of students to buy," Pearson says. "At four year institutions, it's about 25 percent of your tuition. And at some of the smaller institutions, it can be up to 72 percent of the cost of your education."

Pearson says the group worked for about a year, circulating petitions to students and talking to lawmakers to rally enough support to pass legislation to remove taxes on textbooks. Seventeen states have similar laws on the books. But through their research, students and lawmakers soon realized a bill wasn't necessary. As colleges are considered charitable not-for-profit institutions, the state figures colleges already have the right to stop charging sales tax on textbooks. The tax break takes effect for University of Utah students on April 1. All of the state's public AND private colleges and universities are expected to follow the U's lead. Salt Lake Community College Student Body President Halee Thompson says the whole campus is excited about it.

"Salt Lake Community College is a very unique institution. It encompasses a wide variety of students, non-traditional as well as 18 year-old freshmen right out of high school, a lot of single parents who have to work," Thompson says. "Any money, any little break they can get really, definitely helps, and can go a long way. And they really appreciate it."

The tax-free textbook initiative will trim about $4.7 million from the state's tax rolls. The students say this won't have a significant impact on the state's multi-billion dollar general fund, but will give students about $60 a year more to spend. Next, the students are working with U of U faculty and the bookstore, to further reduce the cost of textbooks.

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