Denmark Unveils Plan to Eliminate Book Tax to Address 'Reading Crisis'

In an effort to invigorate reading culture, the Danish government has announced the elimination of the 25% sales tax on books, which is among the highest in the world. Culture Minister Jacob Engel-Schmidt expressed hope that this measure will boost book sales and encourage reading among the youth, who have been plagued by a "reading crisis." The initiative is expected to cost around 330 million kroner ($50 million) annually but aims to promote investment in culture and literature.

Engel-Schmidt emphasized the unfortunate trends revealed by OECD data, showing that 25% of Danish 15-year-olds struggle with basic reading comprehension, which has worsened in recent years. He conveyed pride in the decision to remove the tax and stressed that money should be directed towards enhancing the cultural engagement of Danish citizens. The book tax reduction aligns Denmark with neighboring countries like Finland, Sweden, and Norway, which have lower VAT rates on literature. Mads Rosendahl Thomsen, a literature working group's vice-chair, acknowledged that while scrapping the tax won't fully resolve the issue, it will improve accessibility to books amidst increasing distractions faced by young people. The group is also exploring avenues to promote Danish literature globally and the impacts of digitalization on authors' earnings.