Repealing the Chilean Tax on books.

For whatever reason Chile has value added tax on books. Of all the things I encounter in Chilean Society, this one rubs me the wrong way. Having a lifelong battle against my nemisis the TV, I naturally would like to see more people read. Since books have such a high tax here, naturally fewer people read anything more than newspapers and comic books. When people do need books, for example for school, they photocopy them. A textbook that would normally cost about US$40, can be photocopied and bound for around US$4. The government naturally doesn't get a penny of revenue from copied books. Of all the tax laws that shoot a society in the foot!

This one really hit me full in the face once. I had received a package from the US in which a friend was returning a book. The friend thinking she was doing me a favour decided to shrink wrap the book. The parcel needed to pass through customs. The customs agent thinking the book was obviously a new book estimated a tax. The tax came out to be as much as the original price of the book! I was outraged but there was no convincing the agent the book was in fact used!