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The Minister of Culture, Raluca Turcan, on Wednesday told a press conference in Iasi City that she does not believe that the VAT on books will increase from 5% to 19%, while also mentioning that the ministry she leads is currently making several acquisitions of new titles to equip the libraries, but also to stimulate the publishing houses to continue printing books.
"I believe that the VAT on books will not increase, it will remain the same. I believe that it will not increase and I also have information in this regard. As Minister of Culture, I could not be indifferent to the extremely worrying figures regarding the consumption of book and reading in Romania. I decided that an annual program that the ministry makes with different themes this year should be dedicated to reading and to events where publishers meet with buyers, so as to increase book consumption and obviously access to reading," said Minister Raluca Turcan.
She was asked by journalists about the warning issued by the Association of Publishers in Romania regarding the increase in VAT on books from 5% to 19%.
Also, Minister Turcan showed that in order to stimulate publishing houses to print books, the Ministry of Culture has developed a plan for increasing book purchases and equipping libraries with new titles.
"It's something that hasn't been done at the Ministry of Culture for a very long time. I want this year and next year to continue with the acquisition of books at libraries and spaces where reading takes place. I refer to those compartments many times existing and functional in the cultural houses, where the school libraries meet, with the dedicated staff from the respective cultural houses", the Minister of Culture also stated.
The Board of Directors of the Association of Romanian Publishers reported, two weeks ago, that the increase in the VAT rate on books is a measure that will decrease sales and increase piracy, given that Romania has the smallest book market per capita in the European Union, and sales have been on a downward trend since the first quarter of this year anyway. Currently, books are subject to a VAT rate of 5%, both for the printed versions and for the digital ones.
