PA poll findings support #AxeTheReadingTax campaign

A poll conducted by research consultancy ComRes for the Publishers Association found a majority of people in support of taking VAT off e-books.

The poll, which surveyed a little over 2,000 British people, found nearly two-thirds of them (63%) were in favour of the move, fairly evenly spread between Conservative (66%) and Labour (62%) voters. That figure rose to 72% for over-55s.

The PA is currently promoting an #AxeTheReadingTax campaign, ahead of  the Budget next Monday (29th October).
 
Paid-for digital publications, including e-books, audiobooks, journals and newspaper subscriptions, are currently taxed at 20%. Print publications have never had VAT applied to them as successive governments have considered that act a barrier to knowledge.

Sixty-eight per cent of those polled said they did not know of the differential between print and digital.

The poll also revealed that among those reading a paid-for digital publication in the last 12 months, most (62%) had read e-books and two thirds (64%) accessed paid-for digital publications at least once a week.mMore than a third (36%) of digital readers said that digital publications are more convenient to read than printed ones when travelling, rising to 53% of those aged 55 and over. 

PA chief executive Stephen Lotinga said: “It’s time to end this illogical, unfair and damaging tax – and the British public overwhelmingly agrees. Until now, the Chancellor’s hands have been tied – but on Monday, his path will be clear. Axing the reading tax will be a boost to consumers, authors, publishers and the wider UK economy.

 “Digital readers are not ditching printed books. Print sales are healthy, growing more than five per cent last year in the UK. Instead, this research suggests that readers switch formats when – and because – it suits them.

 “More than a third of digital readers – and more than half of those aged 55 and over – find digital publications more convenient to read than printed ones when travelling. More than a third also say they read digital publications because they can store multiple books or publications on a single device.

 “Reading is a social good, regardless of whether we read pixels or ink. That’s why we’re calling on the government to stick to its principles by axing the reading tax.”

 A report recently conducted for the PA by Frontiers Economics also found there was a "strong" economic case for the removal of the digital tax.