The Minister for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation Clifton Grima today announced the implementation of another electoral measure through which there will again be a tax reduction on income authors and co-authors receive from royalties on sales of their books.
In the last legislature, the tax on income that authors and co-authors receive from royalties on the sale of their books was reduced to 15% and today it was announced that this tax has now been halved again to 7.5%.
“This is a confirmation that as Government we want to give all possible support to Maltese literature and authors. In recent years the Government has invested fully in the infrastructure to create new cultural and creative ecologies that have contributed to increasing wealth and the economy. We believe in the important role of artists at the heart of society. With what we are announcing today we are seeing more investment in the literary arts with the implementation of this measure,” said Minister Grima.
He claimed that in order for the culture, art and creativity sectors to continue to develop in a sustainable way and offer their main contribution in strengthening society, the Government is committed to continue supporting its commitment in favor of the work of artists and their creativity – not least the authors. Therefore even the author and co-author will find the support of the government to broaden his horizons because the culture of writing is part not only of the tradition, but also of the life of our country.
Minister Grima continued that the economic strengthening of the author and the growth of the book industry contribute to the renaissance of local literature and the cultural, educational and intellectual development of society, and therefore the economic strengthening of the book industry is also of national importance. “With this measure we are once again showing that we want the authors to have a fair income from their works. But not only that, because with this measure the book industry will benefit, because more writers will be encouraged to write and publish their work,” emphasized Minister Grima.
Minister Grima also mentioned several initiatives that have been taken during the last years for this sector to continue moving forward, among which he mentioned that the Government is buying a substantial amount of books from authors and publishers to be distributed in – schools. He also mentioned that it was regularized for the first time the copying of printed material (reprography) and the digital use of Maltese books in public schools; as well as that the Book Festival is being given great importance because it is an event that promotes the work of authors and publishers.
The Chairman of the National Book Council Mark Camilleri, while thanking the Government for the implementation of this measure, said that this will mean more money and resources for authors to publish and improve their craft. He said that the Council will continue to strive for the economic independence of its partners, mainly authors and publishers.
