Is it possible that your state government passed a tax on magazine
subscriptions?  My memory is that the Pennsylvania legislature did this
last year, though it was caught up in the courts until recently. Academic
& research libraries view this with dread, as you might imagine, because of
the high costs that then would get another 7% or so tacked on for the
state.   8-(

If there is something more systematic and national-level than that, I don't
know what it is.

Kate McCain                     "bibliometrics R us"
mccainkw@duvm.ocs.drexel.edu