This legislative session, students can keep their eyes on two higher education bills that could significantly alter how much textbooks cost in the coming semesters.
UT alumni Rep. Jose Lozano, D-Kingsville, proposed a bill that would exempt textbooks from the required 8.25 percent sales tax. The bill, if passed, could take effect July 1.
“I remember how much I’d pay for books,” Lozano said. “At that time it was $400-$500 a semester, and I remember how a portion of that was to sales tax.”
The National Association of College Stores estimates the annual average sales of textbooks to be $667. In Texas, the semester average alone is $500, according to the association.
Nineteen other states have some form of sales tax exemption for textbooks.
Lozano said removing sales tax would cost students $45 million less per year. House and Senate budget recommendations proposed cuts to higher education funding, including eliminating some TEXAS Grant funding.
Read the full story at the Daily Texan.
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