11 March 2009
Joint Federation of European Publishers - European Blind Union Press Release

ECOFIN saves audio books!

The Federation of European Publishers (FEP) and the European Blind Union (EBU) warmly welcome the political agreement reached yesterday by the Council of Finance Ministers to include “books on all physical means of support” in the list of goods and services to which reduced rates of VAT can be applied.

“This is a fundamental step forward in the recognition of the value of books, and of the need for policies that encourage access to the culture they contain”, said Mr. Federico Motta, President of FEP. The decision will allow, among other things, audio books to enjoy lower taxation, thus providing cheaper access to an essential tool for many blind and partially sighted people and others.
Lord Colin Low, Chairman of the EBU said “I warmly welcome this decision which for us is a move towards fairness and equality of access. Sighted people can already purchase print books at reduced VAT rates. Lower rates of VAT on audio books will allow blind people to enjoy these same books for a price that is much closer to their print equivalent.”



For more information, please contact:
Ms. Carine Marzin, European Campaigns Officer - Royal National Institute of Blind People
Email: carine.marzin@rnib.org.uk , tel.:+44 (0) 20 7391 2087
Mrs. Anne Bergman-Tahon, Director - Federation of European Publishers
Email: abergman@fep-fee.eu , tel.: +32 (0) 2 770 11 10