European Union finance ministers decided today to allow lower sales taxes on e-books and other digital publications and to align them to reduced levies applied to paper versions of books and magazines.
The deal will allow EU states to apply reduced or even zero VAT rates to electronic publications.
They are currently taxed at a minimum of 15% because they are treated as electronic services.
"This proposal is part of our efforts to modernise VAT for the digital economy, and enables us to keep pace with technological progress," said Austrian Finance Minister Hartwig Loeger, who chaired the meeting.
The agreement comes after more than two years of talks after a European Commission proposal.
The European Parliament supported the plan a year ago.
(Published by RTE, october 1, 2018)
____________