RNIB has been campaigning for a number of years in order to gain agreement at EU level for the inclusion of audio books on the list of items eligible for reduced VAT rates.
Changes on taxation such as VAT are decided at EU level and require a unanimous vote of all 27 Finance Ministers.
In March 2009 RNIB ran a successful European campaign to provide cheaper access to audio books. We worked with our European Blind Union partners and the Federation of European Publishers in order to lobby the 27 EU Finance Ministers before their 10 March meeting in Brussels.
As a result, EU ministers unanimously agreed to authorise governments to reduce VAT on audio books. The current VAT rate on audio books is 20 per cent in the UK.
This agreement allows the government to bring this rate down to 5 per cent. RNIB is now campaigning hard with the UK Publishers Association and the Right to Read Alliance to ensure a speedy implementation.
Find out more about the Right to Read Alliance