"Allowing students to purchase their textbooks without the additional cost of sales tax would save each student hundreds of dollars over the course of their college education," said Marko Mijic, government relations director with the Associated Students of University of Utah. "This proposal is estimated to save Utah students a total of more than $4.7 million annually and is a significant step toward a more affordable education."

Seventeen states have waived sales tax for college textbooks, according to the National Association of College Stores. The Utah Legislature, however, has already turned down such a waiver three times.

"Before, it wasn't student-driven. This year it's 100 percent student-driven," said Mijic, a junior majoring in behavioral science and health. "We want to show the Legislature we care about our education. This is more of an investment in higher education and will go back into the state's economy."

Rep. Greg Hughes, a Draper Republican, has a agreed to sponsor the legislation in the upcoming session, set to convene Jan. 22. Textbook prices have tripled over the past two decades and college students each spend about $900 a year for books, according to recent studies.

With tuition going up every year, the affordability of education is suffering, Alex Zuhl, student government's student services representative, recently told the U.'s Academic Senate to solicit support for the sales tax exemption. “Today, up to 43 percent of students are not buying textbooks because of the expense.”