From: teri koch <teri.koch_at_DRAKE.EDU>
Hello,
I am new to the list and I would like to pose a question. We have always
allowed staff members to purchase personal copies of books through the
acquisitions department, and then reimburse with a personal check. Up until
recently we had not had a problem. We did this infrequently (half dozen
times per year). The last time we did this, we received a rebuke from our
central Accounting Department saying that "employees should not buy
books....even with reimbursement. It is a violation of our sales tax
exemption, and can also have income tax implications if received at a
discounted price."
What is the policy at other institutions? The way I understand it, there
are two issues: (1) Sales tax. Since most Internet transactions do not
incur sales tax, is this really viewed as a problem at any institution? (2)
The discount. Is it an ethical violation to let employees take advantage of
a discount that the library has established with a vendor?
It would be very helpful to find out what the policy is at other
institutions. Thanks in advance!
Teri Koch
Collection Development Coordinator
Drake University
Des Moines, IA
teri.koch_at_drake.edu
Received on Mon Jun 09 2003 - 11:49:20 EDT