Denmark is making books more accessible—and nudging a reading revival—with a bold new move: abolishing its 25% VAT on books, the highest rate of any country. The change, announced by Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt, will be introduced in the upcoming budget bill and comes as part of a broader strategy to address what officials call a "reading crisis". The policy is expected to cost around 330 million kroner (approximately £38 million) annually.

The decision follows troubling findings: nearly 25% of Danish 15-year-olds now struggle to understand simple texts—an increase of four percentage points over the past decade. Denmark stands out in the Nordic region not just for its high VAT rate, but also for having no exemptions for books; by contrast Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the UK either tax books minimally or not at all.

Critics note that similar tax cuts in Sweden raised book sales—but mainly among core readers. That’s why Denmark isn’t stopping at tax reform: it’s also funding deeper collaborations between schools and libraries to get children reading more widely and regularly.

If the lower costs don’t translate into lower prices for buyers—only higher profits for publishers—Minister Engel-Schmidt has promised to reassess the measure. For now, it’s a bold commitment to culture, literacy, and equality of acces