With the start of a new semester and new classes comes the need to purchase textbooks. As if textbooks weren’t expensive enough already, the state adds sales tax on top of the purchase price. Ouch.

The sales tax law on textbooks is a confusing mess. Some college students at some schools owe the tax and others don’t. At Iowa State, you do owe sales tax if you buy at Campus Bookstore. If you buy at the Iowa State University Bookstore, you shouldn’t owe the tax but they collect it anyway.

I am working with GSB leaders and representatives from the other Regents’ schools to end the sales tax on textbooks entirely — for both public and private college students and at community colleges, too. We need to end this confusion, treat all students the same and lower the cost of education.

While we are working on the statewide issue at the Capitol, there is something you can do to right now to cut your own taxes at Iowa State. For textbooks bought at the University Bookstore, you are eligible for a full refund of the sales tax. You have to fill out and send in a form, but it is very simple and takes just a matter of minutes with 3 steps:

1. Keep your ISU Bookstore receipt.

2. Go to the GSB Web site at and click on the “Get a Refund” link near the bottom of the page. Step by step instructions allow you to fill out the form online and print it when finished.

3. Attach the original receipt to the form and mail it to the address given.

If you can get a better deal at Campus Bookstore or elsewhere, go for it, but the tax refund option is not available there. Like I said, the law is a confusing mess.

Claiming your refund not only helps you out immediately, but it also helps me out in our effort to end the tax entirely. The more refunds you claim, the less the state makes from the tax and the easier it then becomes to get my colleagues in the legislature to drop the tax entirely.

Serving in the Iowa State Senate allows me to work for students in a very unique way. Being an ISU faculty member, I have a unique perspective on what students need. In these tough economic times, I am determined in this legislative session to limit the financial burden on students as much as I possibly can. The textbook tax rebate is by no means a solution to students’ financial struggles, but having been in your shoes, I know that every dollar helps.

As the legislative session starts, I hope each and every student will take the time to make their voice heard. We are facing many tough decisions this session in order to balance the budget, and it is crucial that legislators remember how important education is for students who choose an Iowa college or university. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns you may have at any time. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in the Iowa Senate.

Best of luck this semester.

Herman Quirmbach is an Iowa State Senator and an associate professor of economics at Iowa State University.