Spring Break
Student Senate tries to ditch textbook tax
By: Travis Measley
Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: News
The Texas A&M Division of Finance reported that every year the cost of textbooks, on average, constitutes about $1,180, or nearly 20 percent of an A&M student's tuition and fees. With this in mind, student senators Kristina Campbell, Matt Simmons and Nate Snow introduced the Tax Free Textbook Initiative Bill to the Texas A&M Student Senate.
The bill proposed to eliminate the 8.25 percent sales tax on textbooks. The elimination of the sales tax would save the average student nearly $75 per year and save A&M students approximately $3.4 million per academic year, according to the bill.
"Bills similar to this one have been filed in the Texas Legislature in the past, but they all died in committee," said External Affairs Chair Kristina Campbell. "It is something we are really passionate about; it would save students a lot of money."
Campbell and other student senators have been working together with universities across Texas to push the bill to the state legislature. The bill has been passed in the A&M Senate, and other colleges such as Texas Tech, University of Texas and Texas-San Antonio have been working to pass similar bills.
The bill must pass in the Texas State Legislature before it can go into effect.
The bill claims that tax exemptions for textbooks would impact Texas in three major ways: by saving college students' money, by increasing academic achievement and by stimulating economic growth.
"Every dollar the state invests in higher education returns $5.50 to our Texas economy," said Texas Comptroller Carole Strayhorn in the textbook bill. "Abolishing the sales tax on textbooks and making college more affordable for hardworking Texas families is a great investment that will pay off with a better-educated workforce, better paying jobs and a stronger Texas economy."
The average college student in the U.S. will spend $900 each year on textbooks, which is a 186 percent increase from two decades ago, according to the bill. Many students choose not to buy textbooks at these high prices, and thus fall behind in their courses, some even being forced to repeat a class, according to the bill.
The bill proposed to eliminate the 8.25 percent sales tax on textbooks. The elimination of the sales tax would save the average student nearly $75 per year and save A&M students approximately $3.4 million per academic year, according to the bill.
"Bills similar to this one have been filed in the Texas Legislature in the past, but they all died in committee," said External Affairs Chair Kristina Campbell. "It is something we are really passionate about; it would save students a lot of money."
Campbell and other student senators have been working together with universities across Texas to push the bill to the state legislature. The bill has been passed in the A&M Senate, and other colleges such as Texas Tech, University of Texas and Texas-San Antonio have been working to pass similar bills.
The bill must pass in the Texas State Legislature before it can go into effect.
The bill claims that tax exemptions for textbooks would impact Texas in three major ways: by saving college students' money, by increasing academic achievement and by stimulating economic growth.
"Every dollar the state invests in higher education returns $5.50 to our Texas economy," said Texas Comptroller Carole Strayhorn in the textbook bill. "Abolishing the sales tax on textbooks and making college more affordable for hardworking Texas families is a great investment that will pay off with a better-educated workforce, better paying jobs and a stronger Texas economy."
The average college student in the U.S. will spend $900 each year on textbooks, which is a 186 percent increase from two decades ago, according to the bill. Many students choose not to buy textbooks at these high prices, and thus fall behind in their courses, some even being forced to repeat a class, according to the bill.
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