The Kenya Publishers Association (KPA) has noted the high taxes imposed on the stationery.
KPA has noted that the Value Added Tax Act (VAT) enacted in 2013 has led to a 36% percent drop in the buying of books in the last three years.
The Act added a 16% percent tax charge on the access to the raw materials used in making books and this has given publishers a hard time of producing books. KPA chair David Waweru has called on the amendment to the VAT Act of 2013 to allow improvement in the access to books and eventually improve the education system of the country.
"There is a need for Parliament to amend the VAT Act of 2013. This will go a long way to improving the education system in the country and it will also improvement government revenue paid by publishers, printers and booksellers," he said.
The authority has got support from the International Publishers Association that has also voiced its concerns on the decreasing access to books. The international body has called on the government to desist from taxing knowledge.
KPA chair has also called on the government to work hard to stop piracy of books that has led to the production of cheaper books to the public. This has led to losses counted by the original writers and printers of the books since their work is already in the market but at low prices.