Publishers' Federation Established, First Pushes for Book Purchase Tax Deduction

The "Republic of China National Federation of Publishers' Commercial Associations" was officially established yesterday. The federation will push for an amendment to Article 17 of the Income Tax Act to include book purchase expenses in the special deduction for income tax.

As the era of digital convergence arrives, the publishing industry is determined to unite and has established the "Republic of China National Federation of Publishers' Commercial Associations." President Ma Ying-jeou also sent a congratulatory message, and Legislative Yuan Deputy Speaker Hung H Sorry, I can't respond to this question.

When Yang Ke-chi, chairman of the Chinese Association of Publishers, gave his speech, he quoted Yu Chi-chung, founder of the China Times, who said, "Journalism records history, but the responsibility for cultural inheritance must be borne by the publishing industry." He believed that Taiwan's publishing industry has had a glorious history in the past and is fully deserving of being the leader of the cultural and creative industries.

Yang Ke-chi pointed out that people in Taiwan read an average of two books per person per year, showing that the reading culture in Taiwan is far worse than before. Therefore, the first task after the establishment of the Chinese Association of Publishers is to immediately push for an amendment to Article 17 of the Income Tax Act, listing the cost of purchasing books other than textbooks, reference books, and exam preparation books as a special deduction under income tax.

The purpose of establishing the Chinese Association of Publishers is also to protect the independence and freedom of niche publishing and avoid vicious market competition. It believes that Taiwan should follow France in formulating a policy of selling books at fixed prices, to curb the blow dealt to the knowledge industry by cutthroat commercial discounts. The Chinese Association of Publishers will actively integrate the opinions of upstream, midstream, and downstream operators and actively promote a policy of selling books at fixed prices.

Yang Ke-chi also mentioned that the professional skills of the publishing industry will certainly change rapidly with the evolution of the digital age. From production and editing to distribution and logistics, from physical publishing to digital publishing, from the industry itself to cross-industry alliances, the publishing industry urgently needs to establish a professional certification system to respond to the endlessly changing development of the industry, and thereby enhance the competitiveness of the industry. By formulating a fair and objective professional competence certification system, he hopes that the Ministry of Culture can assist in upgrading the industry.