Book industry stakeholders decry ‘further taxing of reading and learning’

By Ifham Nizam

Industry associations, academics and writers expressed concern over the long-term consequences of making books more expensive for the masses. All stakeholders stressed that they would go all out to bring justice to the book lovers and the industry, at a media briefing held at the SLFI on February 2.

Accordingly, Sri Lanka’s book industry called for an immediate reversal of the decision to impose a tax of 18% on the sale of books, in terms of the recent VAT revisions.

General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association (SLBPA) Dinesh Kulatunga, in response to a query by The Financial Island Review said that over the past few decades, the local book industry has diligently produced books using imported paper, plates, inks, chemicals and machinery, consistently paying all required import taxes, including VAT.

He said that the cumulative amount contributed by the industry in the form of these taxes exceeds Rs. 1 billion. This tax has been levied on book production by both the state and private sectors.

Kulatunga added: “We have never sought subsidies for these activities. However, we are now respectfully requesting the government to reconsider this decision, as the ultimate burden of this additional 18% tax will fall upon the general public, including students, as a form of a tax on reading and learning.

“We wrote to the IMF that since gaining independence in 1948, our nation has been committed to providing books at an accessible cost to students, educators, education authorities, universities, and the general public. This was made possible by the absence of taxation on books, which serve as the primary repository of knowledge across a diverse range of subjects. Books are not merely a fundamental element of human civilization; they continue to mold our comprehension of the world around us. They serve as versatile tools that enrich our lives by disseminating and safeguarding knowledge, promoting communication, nurturing creativity and serving as educational, entertainment, and cultural resources.

“In the light of these circumstances, we earnestly requested the authorities to reinstate books under the exemption from VAT. We also requested an opportunity to engage in a further discussion regarding this matter, given its profound significance to a knowledge-based economy and our society as a whole. But there was no response.

“Countries like the UK, USA, India, China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil, do not levy VAT on books. Therefore, we do not believe that the IMF has compelled the imposition of a tax on books; it may be an inadvertent error made by our officials. We are optimistic that they will reevaluate this decision.”

Speakers representing different stakeholder groups in the book industry also charged that with the indiscriminate extension of VAT to a highly sensitive and vulnerable sector like books, Sri Lanka was also in violation of the UNESCO Florence Agreement of 1950, to which the country was an early signatory and continues to be a Contracting State.

The UNESCO Florence Agreement is a treaty that binds Contracting States not to impose customs duties and taxes on certain educational, scientific, and cultural materials that are imported.

The Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association Past President, Vijitha Yapa said: “Last year in September when the 18 per cent VAT on books was announced, we met President Ranil Wickremesinghe and discussed about exempting books from VAT. The President said that that is one of the IMF conditions.”

Yapa also said nothing had happened since then. “After lobbying and writing letters to the Finance Ministry, relevant authorities and various ministers, we were asked to write to the IMF directly and sort things out as we were given to understand that it was an IMF condition and that the authorities have no control over it.”

Yapa added: “It is an obstacle towards the expansion of knowledge in this country as people can’t afford to buy books. Any book publisher or printer with a monthly turnover of over Rs. 5 million is liable for VAT on top of all the other taxes that are imposed when importing the raw materials for printing.”

Meanwhile, Writers Organization of Lanka, Secretary Kamal Perera told The Island Financial Review that:

“If we are talking about VAT on books, I think this will strongly affect the reader and the writer. In my opinion, they should be informed about the unfairness of this tax and raise a national-level protest that the rulers could feel.

“I see it as a very futile action to submit proposals to the government. It’s a failure like playing the harp for deaf elephants. It’s now very clear that this government will never listen to the people’s voice.

“I do not see any practical solution other than building a broad public opinion demanding the immediate removal of this unjust tax.”

Sri Lanka Books Importers and Exporters Association, President, Dinushi Abeywickreme stated, “It’s not just the 18 per cent VAT that is added to the price of the book, but an overall tax of 30 per cent, inclusive of other taxes and a price hike of all raw materials following the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis in Sri Lanka.”