Assessing the Case for Zero-Rating VAT on Digital Publications

Summary:

Frontier Economics produced a report for the United Kingdom's Publishers Association in which it finds that axing value added tax (VAT) on digital publication could save consumers in the country £210 million and raise demand for ebooks by 10%.

Further information:

The report was produced as digital versions of books, newspapers, journals and magazines in the UK were subject to the standard-rate VAT, as opposed to the printed versions of these publications which were zero-rated for VAT. Considering the UK's decision to leave the European Union, and amendments to the European Union's Directive as regards rates of VAT applied to books, newspapers and periodicals, the report was commissioned to assess the economic case for introducing a zero rate of VAT for digital publications in the UK, and the likely impacts.