New York and a few other states allow a sales tax exemption for college textbooks. That may be too broad of a statement – the exemption is for a college student buying a textbook noted on his/her course syllabus or a list from the college. It is not simple for the buyer or seller due to definitions, restrictions and recordkeeping.

While the exemption might sound like a great thing for students, and California often introduces proposals for such an exemption, it is not. There are better ways for legislatures to help college students including targeting relief to those who need it and not imposing extra work on third parties (booksellers) to handle the program.

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