'A crime against students'?

Making textbooks tax-free for students will be one of the IU Student Association's top priorities for the upcoming year, said student representatives. If such a bill passes, Indiana would join the ranks of at least 10 other states that have sales tax exemptions for collge textbook purchases. \n"The idea of tax-free textbooks receives overwhelming support from everyone we talk to," said Garrett Scharton, IUSA chief of external affairs. "This would have a lasting effect -- it would directly affect the pocketbooks of every student in Indiana." \nStudents should not be subjected to multiple taxes in order to access higher education, Scharton said. He said although tax dollars already support in-state tuition, students are taxed again when they purchase the textbooks they need to be competitive and succeed in their college courses. \nThe concept for tax-free textbooks is not new. The first bill proposing sales tax exemption for textbooks, Indiana House Bill 1825, was introduced in 1999 but denied a hearing. Several bills have since been authored but none have been granted a hearing, including 2001's widely-supported House Bill 2128. \nIn 2001, a petition in support of tax-free textbooks was submitted to each member of the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee. The petitioners represented 19 Indiana colleges and universities, including IU. Despite more than 13,000 signatures in support of textbook sales tax exemption, the bill was denied a hearing. \nSupport for tax-free textbooks has also been demonstrated by a letter-writing campaign that sent about 1,000 letters to the Indiana State House. In 2001, two rallies were held at the Indiana State Capitol Building in Indianapolis by students representing eight Indiana colleges, and a third protest was held later in Bloomington, according to IDS reports. \nThe fact that none of the bills written for textbook sales tax exemption have been given a hearing, despite numerous efforts to support the concept, is "a crime against students," Scharton said. \nWhile the University cannot control the cost of textbooks, it supports the concept of student savings, said JT Forbes, IU assistant vice president and executive director for the IU Office of State Relations. \n"It's important to IU that we do everything we can to keep things as affordable as possible," Forbes said. \nForbes' office, which represents the University's position to the State, helps align student government representatives with State officials responsible for the issue of concern. \nPaul Hazel, director of the IU Bookstore, said he would be excited for students if such legislation were passed. \nWhile getting a bill through legislation is incredibly complicated, Scharton said, support for a textbook sales tax exemption must be shown between now and the next legislative session in order to demand attention to the bill. \n"If any single student thinks this is a good idea, they must contact their representative or senator," he said.