Part of the government’s fiscal consolidation measures will be an increase in VAT on books, from 10 to 23 percent. The Ministry of Finance justifies the decision with an analysis suggesting that the wealthy drive most of Slovakia’s book sales.
The Minister of Education for Hlas-SD Tomáš Drucker says that it is a bill for the irresponsible governance of previous governments. He admits that this is not good news for students, but reminds the public that, on the other hand, VAT on textbooks will be reduced to five percent.
“It’s certainly not good news, just like it’s not good news for many others, but I repeat, we have to do something to pay the bill,” says Drucker.
Students are one of the most vulnerable groups of the population, the Student Council of Universities pointed out in its statement.
“We consider it intolerable for there to be an increase in VAT on books, because it will negatively affect access to education and the development of knowledge,” declared Vice-Chairman of the Council Marek Vojtko.
The chairman of Hlas-SD Matúš Šutaj Eštok says that whoever wants to be rich in spirit will buy books. “I note that it caused a stir and I think we will still talk about it within the coalition,” he declared.
The chairman of the Cultural Committee of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, Roman Michelko from the CIS, also has a fundamental problem with the tax increase. He points to the Czech example, which showed that a 0 percent tax on books helped increased sales.
“I understand the need for consolidation. The question is whether, in this way, it will do more harm than good. If it can somehow be reversed, I will help and try to negotiate some compensation,” declared Michelko.
Source: STVR
Jeremy Hill, Photo: TASR
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