First off, the context of this page is that we have a GST. Now, while a GST is not too onerous in itself, it is regressive. If we make the income tax system more progressive to compensate, that's fair.

But this is not what's happened. Income taxes were not just lowered, they were made more regressive.

So, GST sits in a context. I have problems with the context. But, if we assume its there, what about books ?

If we do not have a GST on books, but other sections of the economy are hit with a GST, then there is a net subsidy from them to books.

Now, maybe books would be a noble thing that the rest of society would want to subsidise. Certainly, there's a lot of emotion over this. The thing is, books are not the thing that bookmakers claim them to be.

Books _can_ be a store of knowledge and a celebration of life. But, equally, they can be books about UFO landings, and gossip about the royals, which do not seem terribly productive.

I'm not comfortable about books on UFOs, astrology, royal gossip and such like being subsidised by the rest of society.

And consider booksellers and publishers. Sure, some of them may be into it for the love of it, but fundamentally, book publishing and book selling is a business

Why should we subsidise a given business group ? It makes no sense.

Sure, publish those books on UFOs, astrology, royal gossip and the like. Chew up all those trees. Its a free world, I'm not encouraging censorship.

But just as we should not censor those books, they are not entitled to a subsidy.