The Ghana National Association of Authors and Publishers has opposed the Value Added Tax (VAT) on the importation of books, asserting that it is a breach of the International Convention.
The government has introduced a 15% VAT on imported goods and commodities, increasing the amount from 12.5% previously.
The president of the association, John Akwasi Amponsah, in an interview with Citi News, stated that this move by the government will collapse businesses.
He bemoaned the minimal attention from the government to the industry as the members continually bear the burden of purchasing on parents from their coffers.
“It is really killing the businesses because what will have to happen is that we need to at least share the cost and burden of the tax with the clients or the consumers which are the parents because the children do not buy the books themselves. The effect is that the prices will go up and some people will just leave the book industry.”
He further stressed that the imposition will reduce the quality of Ghanaian education as publishers lack the resources to publish books.
“If that is what Nana Akufo-Addo’s education reformation is all about, that we restructure content, that we refasten the philosophy of teaching but when it comes to books we are found wanting because publishers do not have enough resources to publish books. Then it is doom for our era of education.”
The Association emphasized that the books imported are from their publications and the government should not equate that to importing normal commodities as the price of books will, in turn, be increased.
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