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.
What do you think?
Original Post By: Annette Nellen
Annette Nellen, CPA, Esq., is a professor in and director of San Jose State University’s graduate tax program (MST), teaching courses in tax research, accounting methods, property transactions, state taxation, employment tax, ethics, tax policy, tax reform, and high technology tax issues.
Annette is the immediate past chair of the AICPA Individual Taxation Technical Resource Panel and a current member of the Executive Committee of the Tax Section of the California Bar. Annette is a regular contributor to the AICPA Tax Insider and Corporate Taxation Insider e-newsletters. She is the author of BNA Portfolio #533, Amortization of Intangibles.
Annette has testified before the House Ways & Means Committee, Senate Finance Committee, California Assembly Revenue & Taxation Committee, and tax reform commissions and committees on various aspects of federal and state tax reform.
Prior to joining SJSU, Annette was with Ernst & Young and the IRS.
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