Tax-free textbooks will be an option on Student Government Senate’s ballot this semester. Earlier this month, SG’s chief economic adviser, Greg Upton, completed a semester-long analysis calculating the approximate cost to the State of Louisiana if the sales tax on textbooks were eliminated. The results of the study also showed how much students spend on textbooks and which textbook markets are the most expensive. The tax includes the 4 percent Louisiana state sales tax and the 5 percent local jurisdictions’ sales tax. Eliminating this combined 9 percent tax would cost the state approximately $6.5 million, according to the analysis. In Upton’s sample, only 86 percent of students buy textbooks, and currently the revenue that goes to the state is approximately $5.5 million per year. Of the statewide expenditures for the year, the estimated cost of $5.5 million is 0.0215 percent of the state’s budget, according to the analysis. This amount is only one-fifth of 1 percent of the entire budget. At the beginning of the school year, SG surveyed students and asked where they purchased textbooks and how much they spent. Upton said about 2,700 students responded. The average cost for a semester to buy books is $372 in-state, $117 on the Internet and $55 on the black market, Upton said. ‘These alternate markets can have negative externalities on education, as students may not have access to the most current textbook editions,’ Upton’s analysis said. ‘The high cost of textbooks is further compounded by the implementation of sales tax.’ Upton said the next step in the process is presenting the proposal to the Senate, where senators will then come up with a resolution and a senator will author a bill. Members of SG will then present the analysis and bill to the State Legislature to be approved. ‘The main thing I want to stress is it’s just an analysis,’ Upton said. ‘What Student Government decides to do with that is what we will see.’ The idea has appeared on the agenda of past SG staffs. ‘It’s been through the State Legislature before,’ Upton said. ‘The difference is no one has ever done a quantifiable analysis.’ Upton’s analysis said the legislation will be passed in the summer of 2010 at the earliest and will therefore not affect this year’s budget.’ ‘ The state might also consider passing the legislation with a ‘lag’ year because of the harsh economic climate and the difficulty of the current budgetary process, according to Upton’s analysis. —- Contact Catherine Threlkeld at [email protected]