Giving, Then Taking

Travelers may avoid California’s Consumer Use Tax (“Souvenir Buyers May Be Inadvertent Tax Outlaws,” Travel Insider, May 14), but school libraries cannot. It’s always seemed ironic to me that school librarians have relied on federal funds and meager state funds to purchase materials, and as soon as our budgets are announced (usually in April with orders to be placed by the end of May), we in Los Angeles must allot 8 1/4% to send back to the state.

This is one of the reasons that schools have a shortage of reading materials.

LOIS FELDMAN

Northridge