On 22 May, the government of Ukraine adopted a bill concerning Ukrainian books for listening. The project exempts from the value-added tax:
- Delivery;
- Literary and scientific works;
- Technical editing;
- Production;
- Implementation.
Note that these benefits can get audiobooks created in Ukrainian. The author of the book does not have to be Ukrainian. The new law also covers the supply of electronic copies and the provision of access. Books of erotic nature are not exempt from taxes regardless of the language of writing.
In 2020, the Ukrainian study Reading in the context of media consumption and life-building has conducted a study commissioned by the state institution Ukrainian book institute. According to surveys, 32% of respondents said that it was easier for them to read in Ukrainian than in other languages. It should be noted that over the past 4 years, the Ukrainian language has become 5% more popular and for the first time ahead of Russian-language books.
In 2022, the government considered that a step with the withdrawal of VAT is necessary. This should also help to increase the number of Ukrainian-language audiobooks and increase the number of their readers.
"First of all, we want to popularize the Ukrainian language among the population. So, audiobooks become more and more in demand, so in the country, it is necessary to develop this direction," says the head of the party Servants of the people, Olena Shuliak.
