Sales tax
The city of Boulder and the state of Colorado require sales tax be collected and remitted on food sales, non-food sales and admission purchases. CSI Finance will deduct the appropriate taxes from campus sales (and sales for on-campus events) and remit them to the city and state on behalf of the student organization.
Because student organizations are considered third parties to the university, CSI cannot provide student organizations a copy of the university’s W9 for tax exemption purposes.
Tax rates
- Food sales tax: 8.995%
- Non-food sales tax (merchandise, goods, printing from revenue account): 8.845%
- City of Boulder admission tax: 5.0%
GAR/GAIR
CU Boulder charges an administrative fee (GAR) for all purchases through the university system. For ease of use, this is deducted from all deposits so that BuffConnect reflects the “spendable balance” in the account.
For example, if a student organization deposits $100 into their revenue account, a 7.51% GAR fee will be automatically deducted from the deposit. From the $100 deposit, the student organization can spend $92.49.