Denmark Scraps 25% Book Tax to Boost Youth Reading

In Denmark, every fourth 15-year-old teenager has difficulty understanding a simple text. This is according to data from an OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) study.

The Danish government has announced its intention to abolish the 25 percent tax on book sales to make books more accessible. Denmark's Minister for Culture, Jakob Engel-Schmidt, expressed hope that this change will lead to more books being sold from store shelves.

The plan will cost the state approximately 44 million euros annually, but Engel-Schmidt insists that this is an investment in the country's cultural future.

Notably, in Norway, book sales are not taxed. In Finland, the tax on books is 14%, and in Sweden, it is only 6%.