Publishers have urged the government to scrap the 16 per cent VAT on textbooks to promote a reading culture.
The publishers claim prices of books are getting out of reach for many Kenyans because of the levy.
Kenya Publishers Association chairman Kiarie Kamau said VAT makes books unaffordable.
“At 16 per cent, this tax only serves to make books more expensive, hence unaffordable to the common mwananchi,” he said.
“We call upon the government to scrap VAT on books, as a way of making knowledge affordable to all, hence promote lifelong learning, and grow the knowledge economy.”
Kiarie also decried piracy, especially on digital products, saying books are sold at throwaway prices online denying the industry revenue.
“We are still grappling with the menace of piracy, the digital products are sold at throwaway prices on social media,” he said.
Kiarie was speaking on the eve of the 25th Nairobi International Book Fair set to run from Wednesday to Sunday at Sarit Centre in Westlands.
KPA vice chairperson Agatha Karani urged Kenyans to grace the five-day book fair to sample the various technologies in book publications.
“When we talk about innovation, technology instantly comes to mind. I urge Kenyans to visit the book fair and see what cutting edge technology in the era of book publishing looks like. Our variety for print and digital content is quite high,” she said.
“Apart from local exhibitors, this year we have exhibitors from as far as China, Japan, the UK, Egypt, Iran, Turkey and many more. A key highlight of the fair is the awarding of the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature, the oldest and most prestigious literary award in the country.”
Some 119 exhibitors will participate in this year’s fair.
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