Column: Tax breaks on books won’t save reading from a slow death

In a series of tax reforms designed to ease the burden on consumers’ wallets, Denmark has made several household essentials cheaper: Electricity, coffee, chocolate, cream puffs and books.

OK, so the cream puffs, or Vandbakkelser, may not be strictly necessary. In fact, the removal of the country’s oldest tax on chocolate and confectionery has proven controversial among those who believe it could encourage bad snacking habits. But most Danes are cheering on the tax cut for books. After all, Denmark had the highest value-added tax (VAT) rate (25%) for books in the world, by far.

Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt says that the move is intended to address the country’s “reading crisis,” but it will only go so far in fixing the issue.

Reading proficiency among young people has been droppi