A national coalition of literary organizations is calling on party leaders to close the book on book GST.
The coalition says that, with low literacy rates leading to sagging productivity, Canada must return books to non-taxable status and make reading material more accessible.
TORONTO, December 15, 2005 — Canadian Booksellers Association (CBA), as part of a national coalition, is calling on the party leaders to refine their platforms to reflect a commitment to remove the GST from books, returning books to the list of non-taxed items, as they were before the GST was originally introduced.
Bloc Quebecois, Conservative and NDP party leaders have all argued for GST reduction or removal in recent weeks. Following Stephen Harper's proposal to cut back the GST, just last week Gilles Duceppe suggested that the GST not be charged on books at all. Alexa McDonough introduced a Private Member's bill before Parliament broke for the election calling for complete removal of GST from books.
This would effectively remove concerns about double taxation in Atlantic provinces, where students are taxed unnecessarily for books with CDs and access codes. In those provinces, books are not subject to PST; however, legislators do not appear ready to extend the definition of "book" to include books with CDs and access codes. CBA and its partners are hoping to see the tax burden lifted from students who have no choice in what academic material educators ask them to purchase. The removal of GST from books may just be the answer.
"The political will is there. This is too important an issue to let slide," said CBA president Paul McNally. "Literacy has been in the media lately because of the low levels witnessed across Canada. The GST serves only to deny access to reading material. Canada needs to close the book on book GST, and we're calling on all parties to commit to that."
"A recent study on Canadian book-buying habits indicated that consumers perceive books to be too expensive and this is a great barrier to purchase," said Kirk Howard, President of the Association of Canadian Publishers. "Fewer books purchased means fewer Canadian stories shared, lower literacy levels and less civil discourse. The elimination of GST helps eliminate a barrier to reading and learning. We support the Canadian Booksellers Association's efforts to eliminate GST on books."
"The Writers' Union of Canada has long supported the removal of GST from reading material and joins the coalition to urge the federal government to remove GST from books," said Brian Brett, Chair of the Writers' Union of Canada. "There is no question that the GST has eroded the ability of many Canadians to buy books."
Jacqueline Hushion, Executive Director of Canadian Publishers' Council reminds us all that on August 24, 1992, then Opposition Leader Jean Chrétien wrote a letter to the Don't Tax Reading Coalition, in which he said, "At the Liberal Party's recent Biennial Convention, we passed a resolution calling for the removal of the GST on books and periodicals."
"Let's hear an affirmation of this from ALL parties.' Hushion said.
COALITION MEMBERS
Canadian Booksellers Association
Association of Canadian Publishers
Book and Periodical Council
Canadian Children's Book Centre
Canadian Library Association
Canadian Publishers' Council
Christian Booksellers Association
Editors' Association of Canada
The League of Canadian Poets
The Writers' Union of Canada
For more information, please contact:
Susan Dayus
Executive Director
Canadian Booksellers Association
789 Don Mills Rd., Ste. 700
Toronto, ON M3C 1T5
tel: 416-467-7883, ext 225
tf: 1-866-788-0790
Related addresses:
E-mail: sdayus@cbabook.org
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