Book production in 2012 announced

ANKARA

The total number of books produced in Turkey in 2012 was over 480 million. AA photo

Culture and Tourism Minister Ömer Çelik has announced 42,625 book titles were published in Turkey in 2012 and that the total number of books produced was 480,257,000, daily Hürriyet reported, a figure one-fifth of the publications in Britain and 22,400 less than in Iran. The statement came as a response to a parliamentary question by the Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Umut Oran about publications in Turkey. 

In his parliamentary question, Oran noted that annual book production in the U.S. was 328,000, 206,000 in Britain, 189,000 in China, 123,000 in Russia, 93,000 in Germany, 86,300 in Spain and 65,000 in Iran. 

Decreasing VAT rates

Oran also asked if the eight percent VAT onprinted books and the 18 percent VAT on e-books could be reduced to one percent, the rate applied to holy books. 

As for the division of books in Turkey according to their topic, Minister Çelik said: “Turkish writers produced work in literature and rhetoric fields the most with 14,726 books. This number was 1,933 in philosophy and psychology fields and 2,826 in religious fields. Other figures are 901 on general topics, 14,542 on social sciences, 651 on language and linguistics, 656 on natural sciences and mathematics, 2,104 on technology and applied science, 1,420 on fine arts and 2,867 on geography and history.” 
The number of banderoles in 2012 was 293, 257 while the number of school books, which are distributed for free, was 187 million, Çelik said in a written statement. Çelik added that the arrangement of VAT rates was the responsibility of the Finance Ministry and that talks continue to decrease the rates.