BY TERRI COLES
TWO ITEMS in particular stood out to the literary community of Newfoundland and Labrador among the widespread cuts and tax increases presented in the provincial government’s April 2016 austerity budget: a proposed closure of 54 of the province’s largely rural libraries, and the addition of a 10 per cent harmonized sales tax on books, on top of the five per cent GST already levied but no longer rebated.
Following widespread public outcry, led by local literary figures such as author Lisa Moore, Education Minister Dale Kirby announced in June that the library cuts would be put on hold for review by the private consulting firm EY. (Its recommendations, which were expected in early 2017, have not yet been made public.). But the additional tax came into effect on Jan. 1, making Newfoundland and Labrador the only province to charge HST on book sales. The tax covers all physical and digital titles – including textbooks – purchased either online or through brick-and-mortar retailers.