The latest news on Denmark. The nordic country is set to eliminate the tax on books in a bid to encourage more people to read. The culture minister highlighted that the current rate is among the highest in the world, contributing to a perceived reading decline.
The proposed policy, included in the upcoming budget, seeks to lower costs for consumers and promote literary engagement, particularly among young readers. Authorities are also expanding library and school initiatives to introduce children to quality literature.
The change follows examples in neighboring Nordic countries, where reduced or zero book taxes have led to greater public access to books. Officials will monitor the impact to ensure the benefits reach readers rather than just publishers. Engel-Schmidt (via The Guardian):
"This is something that I, as minister of culture, have worked for, because I believe that we must put everything at stake if we are to end the reading crisis that has unfortunately been spreading in recent years," Engel-Schmidt told the Ritzau news agency.
Engel-Schmidt, later on: "I am incredibly proud. It is not every day that one succeeds in convincing colleagues that such massive money should be spent on investing in the consumption and culture of the Danes."
"It is also about getting literature out there," he said. "That is why we have already allocated money for strengthened cooperation between the country's public libraries and schools, so that more children can be introduced to good literature."
"I will of course monitor how prices develop. If it turns out that abolishing VAT only means that publishers' profits grow and prices do not fall, then we must consider whether it was the right thing to do," he added.