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Bosnia and Herzegovina publishers struggle with high VAT and costs
Publishers in Bosnia and Herzegovina are facing severe economic challenges, struggling to cover printing costs due to high taxes and market competition. Damir Uzunović of the publishing house Buybook reports that the industry suffers from a lack of state support and a 17 percent VAT rate on books, which is significantly higher than the 5 to 10 percent rates applied in neighboring regional countries.
Furthermore, the local market is being impacted by books from Serbia and Montenegro that enter the country without proper declarations or paid taxes. This forces domestic publishers to lower their prices to remain competitive despite their higher tax burdens. Other contributing factors include rising costs for paper and fuel, which drive up printing expenses. To manage these costs, some publishers are turning to digital printing or moving production to Turkey.
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What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Rising fuel and paper prices are increasing printing costs. bosnainfo.ba · srpskainfo.com · www.vijesti.ba
- [● 3 SOURCES] Publishers in Bosnia and Herzegovina struggle to cover printing costs. bosnainfo.ba · srpskainfo.com · www.vijesti.ba
- [● 3 SOURCES] Books from Serbia and Montenegro enter the Bosnian market without declarations or paid taxes. bosnainfo.ba · srpskainfo.com · www.vijesti.ba
- [● 3 SOURCES] The retail price of a book is typically calculated by multiplying production costs by three, then adding VAT. bosnainfo.ba · srpskainfo.com · www.vijesti.ba
- [● 3 SOURCES] Neighboring countries in the region apply a reduced VAT rate of between 5 and 10 percent on books. bosnainfo.ba · srpskainfo.com · www.vijesti.ba
- [● 3 SOURCES] The VAT rate on books in Bosnia and Herzegovina is 17 percent. bosnainfo.ba · srpskainfo.com · www.vijesti.ba