Over 600 Authors including Stephen Fry, Children's Laureate Cressida Cowell, Booker Prize Winner Bernadine Evaristo and former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq have called on the Chancellor to remove the unfair 20% tax on digital readers in the upcoming Budget on 11 March.
Read the letter below and the full story in The Sunday Times, the Metro and The Sun.
Dear Chancellor of the Exchequer,
We are writing to you as authors and book lovers to ask that you remove the tax on ebooks and audiobooks that may prevent young readers, those from low income backgrounds, and those who struggle to read print from experiencing the joys of reading.
Reading is one of the greatest pleasures there is. Books are a passport to other worlds, to other ways of life. They help people develop empathy, offer comfort, inspire and challenge. It is vital that everybody can access the joy and opportunity of reading; regardless of their age, income or physical capability. VAT is rightly not applied to print books and digital formats should be treated in the same way.
Young people are increasingly reading using phones, ereaders and audio devices. Digital formats can enable reluctant readers to engage with, and benefit from, books. There are many people in the UK who are living with a visual impairment or a disability that prevents them from being able to use print books who are taxed unfairly by this policy.
For these reasons, we urge you to remove the 20% tax on digital reading. This will help to ensure that those people who prefer or need to read digitally have the same access to books – and all the pleasure and benefits that they bring – as everyone else.
Yours Sincerely,
Stephen Fry
Cressida Cowell
E L James
Paula Hawkins
Konnie Huq
Val McDermid
Joanne Harris
Ben Macintyre
Dolly Alderton
Jackie Morris
Dr Rangan Chatterjee
Bernardine Evaristo
Francesca Simon
Dan Freedman
Laurel Lindstrom
Carolyn Spring
Louise Hare
Elizabeth Laird
Victoria James
Sean Taylor
Eileen Hogg
Peter Trudgill
Holly Race
Mary Chamberlain
Natasha Mostert
Keith Souter
Kerry Cooper
Charlotte English
Linda M James
Kathleen Ellis
Judy Allen
Catherine Horwood
Keith Ridgway
Ian Dear
Alice Nuttall
Melanie Reinhart
Hilda Ross Rodger
Melvyn Fickling
Eloise Aston
Tom Cunliffe
Brian Clegg
Vesna Main
Lucinda Ganderton
James Edward Hoare
Jacky Colliss Harvey
Selma Dabbagh
Christine Jordan
Alison MacLeod
Lorna Read
Sean O'Brien
Jeanne Willis
Dave Shelton
Brenda Littlewood (JJ Franklin)
Sandra Smith
Wendy Turbin
Cassandra Clark
Louisa Young
Ignaty Dyakov
Rosalind Kerven
JS Rogers
Wendy Superfine
Patsy Trench
Mike Hogan
Sylvia Broady
Robert A. Gilbert
A C Kay
Steffie Shields
Caitlín Matthews
Hugh D. R Baker
Marjorie Forbes Eldridge
Michael W. Thomas
Ally Sherrick
Paul Levy
AJ Waines
Robyn Marsack
Lou Treleaven
Elizabeth Lindsay
Dave Cousins
Leye Adenle
Bonnie Shaljean
Julian Edge
Nicola Stevens
Nicholas Tims
Gillian Hovell
Caroline Davies
Margaret Silf
Miriam Moss
Paul Gitsham
Susan Koten
Hugh Aldersey-Williams
Penny Kline
Elaine M Chambers
Sir Michael Llewellyn-Smith
Mary Green
Sarah Thomas
Susan Traill
Dr Toni Bunnell
Adriana Diaz Enciso
Rohase Piercy
Frances Lynn
Deborah Moggach
J. A. Bosworth
Mary Wilkinson (Mary Chapman)
Nabil Shaban
Cathy Cole
Looman
Todd Kingsley-Jones
Peter Raynard
Annette Hogan
Professor John Radford
Michael Occleshaw
Arthur Hughes
Judith Amanthis
Wendy Constance
Peter Williams
Alison Latham
Karen Kingston
Sheila Wainwright Baines
Dr Maurice Hindle
Laura Broadbent
Prudence Jones
Jane Taylor
Judith Arnopp
Dr Miriam Frank
Bill Higgins
John Harris
Despina Katsirea
Janet MacLeod Trotter
Nadine Meisner
David Roberts
Richard Thomas
Robert Mackenzie Carmichael
Sonia Jackson
Sue Moorcroft
Niki Mackay
Emma Robinson
John C Jackson
Anne Coates
Susan Allott
Charlotte Levin
Lizzie Chantree
Betsy Tobin
Piers Torday
Samantha Bacchus (Sam Carrington)
Sharon Maas
Audrey Harrison
Susanna Beard
Tony Grice
Susan Fortin
Katie Ginger
Linda Allsopp
Sandra Platt (Cass Grafton)
Clare Weze
Pen Kease
Julie Pryke
Carol Thompson
Stuart Condie
Sandra Mackness
Faith Bleasdale
Nicola Mostyn
John Pilkington
Jacqueline Ward
Emily Midorikawa
Carol Howland
Kathleen McGurl
Michael Allaby
Shena Mackay
Ruth Brandon
Helen Barrell
Lucy Felthouse
Jane Lacey-Crane
Christine Hewitt
Alison Belsham
Gemma Rogers
Julie Sykes
Janice Horton
Lindsey Davis
Ros Rendle
Jan Jones
Anne Allen
Glynis Smy (Glynis Peters)
Lucia Graves
Katie Hale
Julie Stock
Dr Julia Ibbotson
Alison Rose Knight
Vivien Brown
Steve Buckledee
Keith Giles
Jane Rogers
Tessa Buckley
Zelda Rhiando
Corene Lemaitre
Simone Mondesir
Mrs Janice Preston
Roy Youdale
Sandra Forder
Rosie Blake
Emma Davies
Emma Rowley
Louise jensen
Philip Francis Latham
Helen Sneyd
Pat Yale
James Sutherland-Smith
Clive Quick
Karen King
Louise Mullins
Vikki Patis
Owen Good
Jacek Laskowski
Sue Watson
Charlotte Betts
Emma Jackson
Karen Clarke
Lisa Sell
Tanya Fenton
Duncan Brockwell
Jo Cotterill
Colin Dann
Abigail Mann
Catherine Wade (Kate Walker)
Judith Baker
Elizabeth Davies
Colin McNaughton
Chloe Sayer
Jessica Norrie
Robert McNeil
Andi Miller
Maggie Ling
Margaret James
Clare Wartnaby
Penny Black
Tony Millington
Adam Eccles
Katherine Garbera Elser
Maria McManus
Parker Foye
Eamonn Griffin
Keith A Pearson
Catrin Collier
Keith Dickinson
Kate Bodsworth
Christina Banach
Norma Clarke
James Noble
Matt Brolly
Zena Barrie
Mrs Katharine Smith
Ewan Lawrie
James McConnachie
Lorrie Sheehy
Joseph Rogers
Tabitha Potts
Amanda Holiday
Jenny Bourne
M.R. Mackenzie
Rachel Corby
Charlotte Duckworth
Karen Sullivan
Derek Farrell
Emma Reynolds
Juliet E McKenna
Rebecca Bradley
Carol Lovekin
Philip Purser-Hallard
Richard W. Strachan
Neil Jones
Louise Beech
Valentina Giambanco
David F Ross
Sasha Dugdale
Natasha Farrant
Hazel Riley
Daniel Tyt
Chris Nickson
William Shaw
Aidan Thorn
Tom Lloyd
Jamie Adams
Penny Johnson
Lulu Allison
Dr Sallie McNamara
Heleen Kist
Ben Atkinson
Sara Sheridan
Tricia Sullivan
Jackie McLean
Neel Burton
Julie Cohen
Paul Heatley
Stephanie Bretherton
Dianne Hofmeyr
Edward McDonald
Steven Butler
Mary-Jane Riley
Charlie Novak
Mark Hill
Robert Billing
Marion Lindsey-Noble
Tim Stretton
Antony Johnston
Barbara Nadel
Susanna Jones
Martin Reed
Rebecca Hart
Marianne Holmes
Mark Edwards
William Ryan
Tom Nicoll
Cath Staincliffe
Sunny Singh
Suzanne Bajor
Jo Spain
Katherine Webb
Rosemary Hill
Jayne southern
Susan Lo
Duncan MacMaster
Ann-Marie Harris
Jamie Guiney
Rachel Watson
Margaret Bateson-Hill
David Bretton
Michelle Styles
Steve Antony
Chris McDonald
Elizabeth Wilde McCormick
Jennifer Pierce
Paddy Magrane
Katherine Roberts
Josephine Greenland
Madeleine Shakespeare
Sarah Quick
Denise Smith
Jackie Marchant
Jan West
Matt Richards
Merilyn Davies
Liz Flanagan
Maureen Oakeley
Mark Jackson
Henriette Gyland
Penelope Shuttle
Elizabeth Drayson
Misha Herwin
Philippa East
Matt Williams
Sheila Johnson
Laurie Blake
Dr. Jo Perry
Laline Paull
Jill Steeples
Peter Crookston
Mark Hood
Samantha Sandys
Rebecca Hogan
Evalyn Lee
Jane Ray
Ian Patrick
Paul Burston
Emma Curtis
Claire Handscombe
Louisa de Lange
Pernille Hughes
C. A. Ardron
James Oswald
Catherine Miller
Christopher Guyver
Helen Taylor
Barbara Henderson
Linda Green
Pam Crooks
Alex Gray
Debbie Young
Jean Fullerton
Clare Flynn
Elizabeth Bailey
Theresa Le Flem
Laura E James
Martin Johnson
Janis Susan May Patterson
Gaie Sebold
Pamela Gordon
Bonnie Phelps
Linda Coleman
Antonia Reed
Sylvia Cook
Rhoda Baxter
Lucy Wilson
Karen Aldous
Nat Paterson
John Nicholl
Johnny Rich
Barbara Lorna Hudson
Natalie Normann
Christine Evans
Alison Knight
Margaret Kaine
Christine Poulson
Elisabeth Hobbes
Bex Lewis
Jane Solomon
Jacqueline Rohen
John Stuart Oliphant
Ros Rendle
Paul Bright
Sheila Riley
Cathy Bramley
Fenella J Miller
Pamela Brooks (Kate Hardy)
Amanda James
Wendy Soliman
Jackie Ladbury
Rachel Dove
Alexandra Strick (Couchman)
Kathryn Dawes
Kaite O'Reilly
Emma Fowle
Lesley Taylor
E J Pepper
Jon Gower
Wynne-Rhydderch Samantha
Alison Jean Lester
Kali Anderson
Kim Howard
Liz Hyder
Helen Brandom
Jacqui Rozdoba
Sophie Kirtley
Gwyneth Lewis
Elizabeth Soule
Karen steele
Diney Costeloe
Lynne Malcolm
Helen May Williams
Lynn Love
Paula Atkinson
Tania O'Donnell
Hannah Hulme Hunter
Anna Skoyles
Karen Baston
Ilona Jesnick
Wendy Schreder
Julie Warren
Heather Child
Jill Lamede
Julie Lamin
Chris Chalmers
Chiz Dakin
Nick Ward
Sarah Rayne
Prof Sue Zlosnik
Laura Thompson
Dr Sara Wickham
Professor Karin Friedrich
Cath Nichols
Professor David Silverman
Owen Mullen
Jacky Dahlhaus
Lucinda Hawksley
Stephen Leather
Heike Phelan
Alison Clark
Keith Dixon
Tim Bowler
Sally Freytag
Andrew Rissik
Vern Adamson
Catherine Evans
Claire Freedman
Charles Alexander
Tarja Moles
Alan McDermott
Natasha Simonova
Anna Smith (Anna Stephens)
Keith Ridgway
Gary Wood
Roger Barton
Frances Lynn
Toni Bunnell
Emma Rous
Helen Bright
Glynis Smy
W Clarke
Elen Sentier
Bob Pegg
Katherine Middleton
Paul Toolan
Susan Pares
Rachel Garcia
Paul Ferguson
Carl Tighe
Walter Houston
Eleanor Anderson
Martin Redfern
Felicity Snowden
Rowan Roenisch
Phil Sutcliffe
Paula Blair
Robin Houston
Fleur Houston
Amanda Allen
Maggie James
Ruth Brandon
Rosalind Kerven
Jane Housham
David Blake
Lesley Whitfield (Lesley Field)
Alison MacLeod
Susan Brewer
Elena Lee-Stark
Richard Johnstone-Bryden
Sue Watson
Nandakumar
Roger Garfitt
Pam Zinnemann-Hope
Dr Stephen Travis
Marilyn Pemberton
Gary Sterne
J. A. Baker
Dionne Haynes
Lesley Rea
C.L. Taylor
Richard Long
Matthew M
Alyson Faye
Mick Mackie
Richard Gross
Jennifer Hornsby
Julie King
Nerys Williams
Claire Bessant
Yvonne Ridley
Paul Evans
Duncan Lunan
Anne Sheppard
Ursula Jones
Angela Royston
Paddy Dillon
Casey Kelleher
Harriet Martin
Mark Edwards
Monique Jackman
Julie Shackman
Rohase Piercy
Eng S Jama
Carol Jan Ford
Alison Newell
Carol Anne Goodwright
Margaret Edgington
Jill Tinker
Elizabeth Dale
Allan Seabridge
Robert John Hesketh
John Michael Heard
Toby Shelley
Mike Clayton
Ed James
Morgan Birch
Tom Minney
Paul Goodwin
Philip Watson
Susan Shirley
David Harrison
Carol Tear
Felicity Martin
Ruth Singer
Lynsey Davies
Cathryn Davies
Ann Wilkinson
Michael Edward Occleshaw
Isabelle Grey
Catherine Weetman
Chris Howes
Ever Dundas
Kate Leiper
Susie Symes
Margaret Crombie
Sherryl Clark
Patrick Jasper Lee
Taofikat Agbabiaka
P Duffell
Wendy Metcalfe
Mary Keyser
Richard Bruce
Jennie Kerwin
Stephen D. Tansey
Charles Glass
Julia Bell
Jo Alexander
Jessica Norrie
Joanna Penn
Ashwin Dave
Dr Anne Summers
Paul Harrison
Emma Fischel
David Coleman
Roger Silverwood
Simon farrant
Ken Clayton
Nadia Stewart
Eric Sutherland
Emily Cock
Deena Maxine Malcolm
Eris Young
Rosemary Goodacre
Maria J Grant
Nic Vine
Liz Mistry
Jo VanEvery
Brian Launder
Professor John Radford
Alice Harman
Patricia Adams-Wright
Nikolas Barrall
Jackie Garner
Isobel Grundy
Christine Poulson
Valerie Janitch
Timothy Radcliffe
Carolyn Kagan
Frances Treanor
Howard Loxton
Pam Golden
Sarah Connell
Felicity Notley
Will Templeton
Jennifer Kavanagh
Alex Roney
Clemency Crow
Suniti Namjoshi
Miranda Rijks
Mrs Sarah Scrace
Sarah Baker
Ed Warren FRCGP
Vernon Coleman
Debbie Kennett
Ann Gravells
Barry McCartan
Judith Allnatt
David Adams
Nadine Robinson
Christopher Colquhoun
Joy Ellis
Jane Worroll
Audrey Pembroke
Jacquelynn Luben
Ruth Gilbert
Ben Archer
Ruth Dowley
Philena Bruce
Sarah Barrell
Imelda West
Anne Samson
Owen Good
Lez Cooke
Richard Swan
Mike Gayle
Mary Waters
Kevin Geddes
Tom Chatfield
Ray-Anne Lutener
Julie Sykes
James McConnachie
Richard Grimes
Keith A Pearson
Helen Hollick
Emma Kennedy
Kate Innes
Michelle Styles
Michael Marshall
Lorna Peel
John Pilkington
Amanda Revell Walton (Nancy Revell)
Kathryn Pimlott
Kim Le Patourel
Peter Raynard
Gilly Macmillan
Lynn Fraser
Dave Frost
Jackie McLean
Alison Belsham
Karen Traviss
Faye Bird
Ann Page
Lesley Kara
Ruth Collet-Fenson
Barbara Woods
Vivienne Crow
David Nicholls
Nell Pattison
Jane Holland
Lorna Cook
Phillipa Ashley
Nicola Rayner
Abigail Mann
Tess Stimson
Nick Garlick
Joanna Toye
Lindsey Kelk
Chris Townsend
Andrew Seaman
Oliver Sanders
Marg Roberts
Susie Steiner
Tracy Chevalier
Louisa Young
Bridget Collins
Emma Unsworth