11
Apr
Apr
Ukrainian Book Publishing to Face Hard Times Ahead
Recently Publishing Perspectives posted an article by Eugene Gerden, drawing the attention to possible negative consequences to the
Ukrainian publishing market as a result of the tense political situation in the country. The Ukrainian government was considering abolishing the existing
tax benefits and other incentives to the domestic book publishing industry within the first package of the governmental anti-crisis program of actions, aiming to raise additional funds for the
state budget. Ukrainian publishers could lose favorable VAT and income tax benefits, new bookstores openings were about to be postponed, and subsidies to pay for the interest on bank loans taken by
Ukrainian publishers were about to be cut.
These measures met the immediate and severe criticism of publishers and all people interested in book issues in
Ukraine. Thanks to the quick reaction of the Board of Ukrainian Publishers and Booksellers Association, the reported measures were postponed till the beginning of next year (January 1, 2015), yet
there have been no talks about the extension of these benefits for the next years.
Comment of Oleksandr Afonin, President of the Ukrainian Publishers and Booksellers
Association, made at the general reporting meeting of the Association on April 08, 2014:
"Unfortunately, I must admit that book issues did not become a priority for the new Ukrainian authorities, including its financial and economic unit, as they weren't for their predecessors. There is no alternative way to explain the fact that one of the first steps of the new government was the proposal of the Ministry of Finance to cancel tax benefits for Ukrainian books within the first package of the governmental anti-crisis program of actions with the aim of budget savings. It means that benefits must be cancelled already in April. However, a quick reaction of the Board of UPBA, a prepared appeal to the acting President Oleksandr Turchynov and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, that was signed by about 500 our compatriots, who are interested in book issues, my personal talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Ministers of the humanitarian unit of the Government, the National Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine allowed to temporary postpone this threat until January 01, 2015. But so far there were no talks about the extension of these benefits for the next years".
"Unfortunately, I must admit that book issues did not become a priority for the new Ukrainian authorities, including its financial and economic unit, as they weren't for their predecessors. There is no alternative way to explain the fact that one of the first steps of the new government was the proposal of the Ministry of Finance to cancel tax benefits for Ukrainian books within the first package of the governmental anti-crisis program of actions with the aim of budget savings. It means that benefits must be cancelled already in April. However, a quick reaction of the Board of UPBA, a prepared appeal to the acting President Oleksandr Turchynov and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, that was signed by about 500 our compatriots, who are interested in book issues, my personal talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Ministers of the humanitarian unit of the Government, the National Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine allowed to temporary postpone this threat until January 01, 2015. But so far there were no talks about the extension of these benefits for the next years".
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10
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Oct
Book Platform Newsletter: Final Issue
01
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Book Platform Newsletter: Issue 22
01
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Jul
Book Platform Newsletter: Issue 21
01
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Book Platform Newsletter: Issue 20
01
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May
Book Platform Newsletter: Issue 19
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