On Wednesday, Mexico’s Ministry of Culture announced a zero-tax proposal for small and medium-sized bookstores, included in the 2027 Economic Package, with estimated tax benefits of between US$11 and US$14 million.
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Economic Culture Fund (FCE) Director Paco Ignacio Taibo stated that the zero VAT rate is a long-standing demand of the publishing industry, previously proposed by Educal and the Mexican Chamber of the Publishing Industry (Caniem), and now officially adopted.
The Ministry reported that it developed the measure in collaboration with the FCE, the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, and the Tax Administration Service. The goal is to strengthen the book ecosystem, support Mexican bookstores and publishers, and renew public library collections.
It also seeks to improve the liquidity of national bookstores and promote their long-term viability. The announcement comes after the closure of the publishing house Ediciones Era, which boasted a catalog of important authors such as Jose Revueltas, Elena Poniatowska, and Carlos Monsivais.
President Claudia Sheinbaum called for a review of the Ediciones Era case and an exploration of support options, noting that the closure of a publishing house with such a long and distinguished history “is not good news.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture will allocate US$2.9 million from its 2026 budget to acquire books and renew the collections of the National Network of Public Libraries.
The call for proposals will be open to independent, small, and medium-sized publishers and will be published on September 21 to diversify titles, genres, and authors available to readers.
teleSUR: JP
Source: EFE
Source: teleSUR
