The Book Publishers and Distributors Association of Thailand (Pubat) has called on the government to consider a stimulus plan that would bolster the book industry by allowing book purchases to be eligible for personal income tax deduction.
Theerapat Charoensuk, a member of Pubat's executive committee, said book buying should be permanently added to the list of tax-deductible items, similar to investments in super savings funds (SSFs).
Individuals investing in SSFs benefit from tax deductions of up to 30% of their taxable income for the year, with a maximum of 200,000 baht, according to the Revenue Department.
The National Soft Power Development Subcommittee for Books proposed book purchases should be eligible for a tax deduction of up to 10,000 baht per year.
This proposal was submitted to the Revenue Department, said Mr Theerapat, who is a member of the subcommittee.
"Book buying is an investment in the country's human resources," he said.
Over the longer term, Mr Theerapat urged authorities to enhance public spaces dedicated to books, such as libraries, and to increase the government's annual budget for acquiring more books for these facilities.
"There should be a better book database and improvements made to facilitate people borrowing books," he said.
Mr Theerapat said these measures could benefit the industry by increasing sales and the volume of books printed, potentially lowering prices through economies of scale.
He also called for government support in organising events that promote reading.
The association assessed the impact of the previous "Easy E-receipt" stimulus scheme that included books as eligible items for tax rebate.
While the government lost roughly 500 million baht in tax revenue, the scheme generated an estimated 1.2 billion baht in economic circulation within the book industry.
"Despite book sales being exempt from value-added tax, book production significantly contributes to economic circulation," said Mr Theerapat.