It is not the first time that we have written about this subject, but we believe that it is necessary to insist on its importance.
Nobody disputes the importance of reading in education, given its relevance in matters such as the simple act of understanding written instructions, to the formation of critical people who are capable of questioning society and working to improve it. Beyond the co-payment, free or even profit, the objective shared by all – we believe – is to achieve a quality education. So this time we will not refer in this column about the need to return or not to face-to-face classes. Nor will we talk about de-municipalization, nor will we refer to the lack of proposals regarding quality. We reiterate that improving our ailing public education is a shared goal, but one of complex implementation that exceeds the limits of this space.
We only name the discussion on taxes, to point out that in the current context, it would be good to open up the debate regarding the end of VAT on books.
Chileans have one of the highest VAT on books in the world. European countries have a differentiated one or zero, and most of our Latin American neighbors do not tax their books. In Chile, this is 19 percent; This means that almost a fifth of the value of a text corresponds to taxes. Eliminating VAT on books is an investment in people. Although we know that it will not be the solution to the problems of books and reading in Chile, a decrease in the price of books will have virtuous effects in the medium term: library budgets will increase, strengthening the network of public libraries and our publishing industry will have an incentive to grow and be more competitive internationally, at the same time that books will be more affordable. reach of our pockets.
Luis Fernando González V
Sub Director
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