NDP calls new book levy a 'million-dollar tax on students'

New Democratic Leader Earle McCurdyused a campus visit to Memorial University Tuesday to call on the Newfoundland and Labrador government to reconsider a controversial provincial tax on books.

"The tax on books is, by our rough estimate, a million-dollartax on post-secondary students," said McCurdy, who spoke with students about how the book tax which came into effect on Jan. 1 is affecting them.

"This is the worst kind of regressive tax. It targets students who are working hard to get education, which will allow them to contribute in many ways to this province."

• MUN students say new N.L. book tax hitting them hard

McCurdyspoke to students in the University Centre, before making a speech which demanded government reconsider the tax when it presentsits spring budget.

He said with each course atMUN requiring an average of $150 worth of books to be purchased, full-time students can end up payingas much as $100in taxes for the semester. He said that would total almost $1.1 million for the 12,000 full-time undergrads that go to MUN.

Few options

Some of the students at the NDP event on Tuesday talked about how the book tax means they have to cut back in other areas of their lives.

"It's so financially debilitating," said Simon Pope, a 3rd year history student. "I don't have extra money, and textbooks are already overpriced. I have to buy cheaper food, or go out less but often it just comes down to not being able to buy books."

International students were also at MUNto express their frustrations, saying it hurts them extra hard as they already deal with more expensive tuition than locals and in many cases face a higher cost of living compared to where they come from.

"We pay a higher rate for everything," said Emma Lang, who came to MUN from Cambridge, Massachusettsto do her PhD in Folklore.

"A domestic student from Toronto may be able to order the books online and pick them up at home over Christmas.We don't have that option. If we're ordering them at home they're flying and we're paying the shipping tax."

Lang said she's even considered buying books online to be shipped to her home in the U.S., to then have them mailedtoSt. John's, as a way to avoid the book tax. However, she said that can take weeks which isn't really a good option either.