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.