The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

UISG takes stand on sales tax

UISG+takes+stand+on+sales+tax

By Jack Berning

[email protected]

The University of Iowa Student Government passed a resolution on Tuesday meeting to exempt students from sales tax on course material at the UI bookstore.

Currently, UI students pay the Iowa sales-tax rate of 6 percent on all course-material purchases made at the UI bookstore.

According to the National Association of College Stores, the average college student spends $655 on textbooks every year, leading to an average of around $39 in sales tax.

No action will necessarily be taken at this time — the resolution just shows UISG’s support for the change.

“Finding ways to alleviate the ever-increasing cost of higher education if critical for increased access, quality, and outcomes from course material,” UISG Sen. Paul Ruales said. “College students already have a ton of expenses, and eliminating the tax on course material will help to lessen the load.”

Campus stores were the market leaders in course-material purchases during the 2015-16 academic year, and alleviating the cost in these locations will benefit the majority of the student population, the authors of the resolution, Ruales and Alya Mohd, hope.

“For college students especially, any chance to save any amount of money is beneficial,” Mohd said. “And with most students using the convenience of the university bookstore, it could save students several hundreds of dollars over their time spent at the Iowa.”

The state had a provision in place to allow the tax exemption, prompting UI Vice President for Student Life Tom Rocklin to reach out to UISG for support, which was granted through the resolution.

“[Rocklin] let us know that this opportunity was available and asked us to request it from the university,” Ruales said. “We were very pleased to act on the opening he gave us.”

Rocklin and UISG members hope that with the passing of the exemption will further demonstrate the UI’s commitment to its students and their success.

The resolution passed overwhelmingly and will now be sent to President UI Bruce Harreld and the Division of Student Life.

“It was really a no-brainer [to vote yes],” Sen. Lily Burns said. “As a student, it’s easy to understand that with the amount of money we are required to spend on textbooks, having to pay an extra tax can be frustrating. With the passing of this resolution, the money staying in students’ pockets will be favorable.”

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