Poland Wants the VAT on Books and e-Books to be the same

Poland is getting fed up with the VAT between print books and e-books and are doing something about it. A number of Polish judges have asked European Court of Justice to look into the matter. Currently print books in Poland have a 5% VAT but e-books carry a hefty surcharge of 23%.  The main reason for this is because the EU classifies  e-books are a “service” and not a “product.” Not only are the judges now involved, but the Minister of Culture Małgorzata Omilanowska called on the European Commission to immediately start working on a directive that would make electronic and traditional books legally equal. The high cost of VAT on e-books is stagnating the entire digital publishing industry in Poland. Schools, libraries and corporate bodies are still going with print, because the digital editions are not budget friendly.

URL: http://goodereader.com/blog/e-book-news/poland-wants-the-vat-on-books-and-e-books-to-be-the-same