European Finance Ministers ready to sacrifice audiobooks ?

The European Blind Union and the Federation of European Publishers are shocked that the proposal made by the Czech Presidency of the Council on reduced rates of VAT now excludes audiobooks.

For many visually impaired persons, audiobooks are often the only format through which a given title can be accessed in a timely manner. Both organisations had welcomed very positively the inclusion of audiobooks by the European Commission in the proposal for a Directive currently under review by the Council of Finance Ministers, in the list of goods and services to which reduced rates could be applied. An audiobook carries an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) which clearly identifies it as a book.

On Tuesday 10th March, the Finance Ministers of the 27 EU Member States will meet and will be asked to endorse the Czech Presidency proposal excluding audiobooks.

EBU and FEP are calling on the 27 EU governments to oppose this exclusion. The European Union needs to be coherent if it wants successful inclusion policies. The Commission and the Member States of the EU, heartily supported by the Parliament, have made e-inclusion policy a priority.

Now it is time to show real support for a concrete step forward that is to tax identically books that are printed and audiobooks, to support not only access for persons suffering from a visual impairment but also to promote education, knowledge, self-improvement and culture. To do otherwise would clearly discriminate against the many blind and partially sighted people who use audio books to read.