Fry, Alderton and James join 600 authors calling on government to ditch 'unfair' reading tax

A letter calling on the government to remove VAT on digital publications has been signed by more than 600 authors, including Stephen Fry, Dolly Alderton and E L James.

With support also from the likes of Val McDermid, Paula Hawkins, Joanne Harris, Cressida Cowell, Konnie Huq, Jackie Morris and Francesca Simon, the letter ran in the Sunday Times this weekend and was retweeted by Tracy Brabin, Shadow Secretary of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, on Twitter.

In the letter, authors and illustrators endorsing the Axe the Reading Tax campaign support the case the 20% reading tax disproportionately affects those from low-income backgrounds and those who struggle to read print and labelling of the tax as fundamentally "unfair".

"As authors and book-lovers, we urge the chancellor of the exchequer to remove the 20% tax on digital reading. While printed books are rightly exempt from VAT, ebooks and audiobooks are not. Taxing these formats may prevent young readers, those from low-income backgrounds and those who struggle to read print from experiencing the joys of reading," the letter reads.

"Books are a passport to other worlds, to other ways of life. They help people develop empathy, offer comfort, inspire and challenge. It is vital that everyone can experience the joy of reading, regardless of their age, income and physical capability.

"Young people are increasingly reading on phones, e-readers and audio devices. Digital formats can enable reluctant readers to engage with books. Many people are living with a visual impairment or a disability that prevents them from using printed books.

"For these reasons, the tax is unfair and the chancellor should remove it in his budget on 11th March. This will help to ensure that people who prefer or need to read digitally have the same access to books — and all the pleasures and benefits they bring — as everyone else."

Trade bodies that support the drive to "Axe the Reading Tax" in addition to the Publishers Association, which spearheads the campaign, include The Royal National Institute of Blind People, The National Literacy Trust, The Society of Authors, The Association of Authors Agents, The Authors’ Licensing & Collecting Society, Listening Books and BookTrust. All political parties were called on at the end of last year to ditch the tax as they drew up their party manifestos.