State legislators are proposing bills aimed at making life a little easier for college students - a sales tax exemption for textbooks.
"I will do anything I can to make college education more affordable," said state Sen. Loren Bennett (R-Canton), a co-sponsor of the Senate's legislation.
The idea for the bill came from the Associated Students of Michigan State University, the university's student government. Doug Skrzyniarz, ASMSU's legislative affairs director, said the bill could save students between $20 and $40 per semester - or maybe more.
"Textbooks are just so much of a burden for students," Skrzyniarz said.
The proposal has been well received by some at the University.
"If you make small changes here and there, it will bring down the total cost," said Michigan Student Assembly Rep. Dan Serota.
Rep. Kirk Profit (D-Ypsilanti) is proposing similar legislation in the House.
"All of the costs start to mount up," Profit said. "It really adds insult to injury."
Profit said he is confident the bills, which have both Republicans and Democrats as sponsors, will receive bipartisan support.
State Sen. Leon Stille (R-Spring Lake), another co-sponsor of the Senate bill, said the bill has great support in both legislative branches.
"I suspect it has a good opportunity for passage," Stille said.
Bennett agreed the bill will likely be passed.
"There's no reason not to support something like this," Bennett said.
But some legislators said there are flaws in the tax exemption that would cost the state about $10.3 million per year in lost tax revenue.
"There is revenue lost to the state," said state Rep. Mary Schroer (D-Ann Arbor). "Also, how do you prove a book is a textbook?"
Profit agreed that he must work on finding a definition for what counts as a textbook, and he plans to before the bill is debated on the House floor.
"That is an issue we'll have to address," Profit said.
Schroer said there are many other initiatives to financially assist college students who could be funded instead.
"We could really still use the tuition tax credit," Schroer said.
Stille said one problem some have with his bill is that bookstores may take advantage of the tax exemption.
"There's no way we can control the prices the stores charge," Stille said.
But Serota said bookstores want to aid students as well.
"The bookstores are into working with the students," Serota said.
Skrzyniarz said that after he spoke with many bookstore owners on the topic, he concluded that the escalating prices are not the fault of the stores.
"It's the publishers who have increased the prices," Skrzyniarz said.
However, some bookstore managers said they were indifferent to the proposal.
"The students that need the books will buy them," said Irv Scheel, textbook manager at Michigan Book and Supply. "Six percent won't make that much of a difference."
John Truscott, a spokesperson for Gov. John Engler, said Engler will not take a stance on the proposal until he receives an analysis of the bills from the state Department of Treasury.
"It's a nice proposal, but we have to make sure it's affordable and possible to implement," Truscott said.
JONATHAN SUMMER/Daily
Andrea Westland, a 2nd year graduate student, buys a textbook from Shaman Drum employee Paul Edsall yesterday.