Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Plan Would Make Textbooks Exempt From State Sales Tax

Ohio Public Radio

Textbooks can cost college students thousands of dollars a semester. State lawmakers are considering a plan to change that. Ohio Public Radio's Andy Chow reports.

A House committee opened debate on a bill that would exempt college text books from the sales tax.

 

Republican Representative Mike Duffey says this can just be one step in the effort to make college more affordable.

 

Duffey: “I think it’s just hard with a straight face to say we’re doing everything we can for college students and still tax them on textbooks.”

 

A fiscal analysis in 2015 found that the tax on textbooks generates about $30 million in revenue.

 

Acknowledging the possible fiscal impact, Duffey says one idea is to trigger the exemption once the budget reaches a certain threshold.

 

A student pays about $30 in state taxes for every $500 spent on books.

The Statehouse News Bureau was founded in 1980 to provide educational, comprehensive coverage of legislation, elections, issues and other activities surrounding the Statehouse to Ohio's public radio and television stations. To this day, the Bureau remains the only broadcast outlet dedicated to in-depth coverage of state government news and topics of statewide interest. The Bureau is funded througheTech Ohio, and is managed by ideastream. The reporters at the Bureau follow the concerns of the citizens and voters of Ohio, as well as the actions of the Governor, the Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio Supreme Court, and other elected officials. We strive to cover statehouse news, government issues, Ohio politics, and concerns of business, culture and the arts with balance and fairness, and work to present diverse voices and points of view from the Statehouse and throughout Ohio. The three award-winning journalists at the bureau have more than 60 combined years of radio and television experience. They can be heard on National Public Radio and are regular contributors to Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Marketplace. Every weekday, the Statehouse News Bureau produces in-depth news reports forOhio's public radio stations. Those stories are also available on this website, either on the front page or in our archives. Weekly, the Statehouse News Bureau produces a television show from our studios in the Statehouse. The State of Ohio is an unique blend of news, interviews, talk and analysis, and is broadcast on Ohio's public television stations. The Statehouse News Bureau also produces special programming throughout the year, including the Governor's annual State of the State address to the Ohio General Assembly and a five-part year-end review.
Related Content