Denmark will scrap its sales tax on books to tackle a growing “reading crisis.” Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt announced the decision on Wednesday.

At present, Denmark charges 25 percent sales tax on books, the highest in Europe. In contrast, Britain charges none.

Government Push for Reading

Therefore, Engel-Schmidt said the government’s new budget bill will propose the tax cut. “We need to do all we can to fix this reading crisis that has unfortunately spread in recent years,” he told Ritzau.

As a result, the state will lose about 330 million kroner ($51 million) in revenue every year.

Troubling OECD Report

Meanwhile, the latest OECD education report has raised concern. It showed that 24 percent of Danish 15-year-olds cannot understand a simple text. Worryingly, this figure has increased by four points over the past decade.

Publishers Welcome the Move

In May, Denmark’s publishing industry urged the government to act. It stressed the need to “guarantee access to physical books for all Danes – both children and adults.” Consequently, the end of the tax is seen as a major step to make books affordable and revive the reading habit.