Found: VAT on audiobooks
Oral Evidence May. 16 2023
Inquiry: Proposals for backbench debatesFound: The application is on the subject of VAT on audiobooks.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations he has received on the fairness of the level of VAT on audiobooks.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Chancellor regularly receives representations from stakeholders across a range of issues and keeps all taxes under review. In common with many goods and services, audiobooks are taxed at the standard rate in both physical and digital format and there are no current plans to change that.
Report Jan. 17 2023
Inquiry: A creative futureFound: extras can now be computer generated, for example.94 In January 2023, Apple announced a catalogue of audiobooks
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits for equality for people who are visually impaired of removing of VAT on audiobooks.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
An extension of the zero rate of VAT was introduced in May 2020 to provide consistency in approach between certain physical and digital publications. Audiobooks are already taxed consistently at the standard rate in both physical and digital format.
Providing VAT relief for audiobooks would have a fiscal cost and should be viewed in the context of over £50 billion of other requests for relief from VAT that the Government has received since the EU referendum.
Although the Government keeps all taxes under review, there are no plans to change the rate of VAT on audiobooks.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made a recent assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of audiobooks on increasing engagement with reading for people with disabilities and other underrepresented readers; and whether he plans to introduce a zero rating of VAT for audiobooks.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
An extension of the zero rate of VAT was introduced in May 2020 to provide consistency in approach between certain physical and digital publications. Audiobooks are already taxed consistently at the standard rate in both physical and digital format.
Providing VAT relief for audiobooks would have a fiscal cost and should be viewed in the context of over £50 billion of other requests for relief from VAT that the Government has received since the EU referendum.
Although the Government keeps all taxes under review, there are no plans to change the rate of VAT on audiobooks.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to introduce a zero rating of VAT for audiobooks.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
An extension of the zero rate of VAT was introduced in May 2020 to provide consistency in approach between certain physical and digital publications. Audiobooks are already taxed consistently at the standard rate in both physical and digital format.
Providing VAT relief for audiobooks would have a fiscal cost and should be viewed in the context of over £50 billion of other requests for relief from VAT that the Government has received since the EU referendum.
Although the Government keeps all taxes under review, there are no plans to change the rate of VAT on audiobooks.
Report Nov. 02 2022
Inquiry: Reimagining where we live: cultural placemaking and the levelling up agendaFound: heritage sectors have also called for support for the sector through ˛scal reform, including through VAT
Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will introduce a zero rating of VAT for all audiobooks.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
At March Budget 2020 the Government announced the introduction of a zero rate of VAT on certain e-publications (including e-books) to support literacy and reading in all its forms and make it clear that e-books, e-newspapers, e-magazines, and academic e-journals are entitled to the same VAT treatment as their physical counterparts.
The extension of the zero rate of VAT to e-publications was introduced to provide consistency of approach between certain physical and digital publications. Audiobooks are already taxed consistently at the standard rate in both physical and digital formats.
The Government keeps all taxes under review, including VAT, but there are no current plans to extend the VAT zero rate to audiobooks.