The main categories of instruments in the literature sector are exemptions from outgoing VAT, purchasing schemes and fixed prices on books. Currently the VAT exemptions only includes printed books. However, there is an ongoing discussion whether the exception also shall include digital books.
During the last few years there have been public debates about a sector agreement for the book trade between the Norwegian Booksellers Association and the Norwegian Publishers Association, which means that there are fixed prices on books during a limited period in Norway. The agreement relies on an exemption from the competition rules that the authorities have approved. The agreement has been perceived as important in order to ensure a decentralised network of bookstores throughout the country, to ensure the income of writers, and the promotion of a diverse literature.
Until 2005, one of the most important provisions of the agreement was the rule whereby the price of books had to be fixed in the year of publication and the following year. While the competition authorities have wanted to remove or radically modify the “book agreement” for the last two decades, the publishing and bookseller sector wanted to implement this in the legislation as a law on fixed book prices. Currently (2022), a draft for a book law is out for consultation.
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