Duty on books to be scrapped

Lungile Tshuma, Sunday News Correspondent
THE Ministry of Finance and Economic Development is set to lift the 40 percent duty it recently imposed on imported books, Sunday News has learnt.

Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Professor Jonathan Moyo last week wrote a letter to Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa calling for the scrapping of the duty as the development would restrict access to learning material.

A highly placed source in the Ministry of Finance said the matter was being dealt with and the ministry might be making an official announcement this week.

Presenting his mid-term policy review in Parliament in July, Minister Chinamasa imposed a 40 percent import duty on all printed books, brochures and leaflets.

He said the introduction of duty was necessary to revive the local printing and publishing industry.

Last week Prof Moyo tweeted that Minister Chinamasa was “agreeable” to lifting the duty.

“Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa is agreeable on rectifying the duty anomaly on textbooks!” read Prof Moyo’s tweet.

Besides Prof Moyo’s complaint, book sellers were also against the duty which they said was going to make education in the country expensive.

The import duty was also castigated for breaching provisions of the Unesco Treaty of 1950 Article 1(a) and (b).

The treaty provides that contracting states should not apply customs duty or other charges on or in connection with the importation of books and educational materials.