As of: February 13, 2024, 6:26 a.m
By: Bona Hyun
Comments
Press
Split
Every third magazine's existence is at risk.
Media manager Philipp Welte has a suggested solution.
There is already criticism of this.
Berlin – Farmers' protests, strikes, mass demonstrations: especially in times of unrest, the relevance of independent and classifying journalism is growing, emphasizes media manager Philipp Welte.
“Our mission to ensure a free press is more important today than ever before for the stabilization of society,” Welte told
Handelsblatt
.
2024 will be a fateful year for democracy.
At the same time, the challenges are also growing.
Media association calls for lower VAT on newspapers
The economic foundation of the publishers is in jeopardy.
According to the
Handelsblatt,
a third of the magazine titles are according to the Media Association of the Free Press.
V. (MVFP) jeopardizes its existence.
Many well-known newspaper publishers have just reduced or capped their travel budgets, according to industry circles.
Job cuts are also conceivable.
Welte's proposed solution: a further reduction in the VAT rate on press products.
The reduced rate of seven percent is charged for printed copies and, for several years now, also for digital editions.
Welte believes that a reduction in VAT is “the cleanest way to support publishers’ independent journalism.”
Such a measure could be introduced at short notice and without additional bureaucracy.
Calls to reduce VAT for newspapers are becoming louder.
© Michael Gstettenbauer/imago
Critics noted that such an approach is undifferentiated and promotes all publishers hand in hand.
Such an instrument essentially serves the goal of “economically supporting existing business models,” write the experts from WIK Consult.
Newspaper publishers are calling for a reduction in VAT and help with delivery
As early as 2023, calls for a VAT for newspapers became louder.
The German newspaper publishers also insisted on help with delivery from the federal government.
The Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers (BDZV) demanded that Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) “keep his word,” board member Matthias Ditzen-Blanke was quoted as saying by Die Zeit at the BDZV annual congress.
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The federal government had actually promised that it would promote the delivery of paper newspapers.
But that won't happen in 2024 either.
In view of the “little scope” in the budget, it was not possible to implement this financial support for the press, said deputy SPD parliamentary group leader Dirk Wiese.
No funds for press funding were listed in the budget adjustment meeting.
Newspaper publishers express dissatisfaction with the lack of help with delivery
So far it seems unrealistic that government aid will come in a timely manner.
According to Die Zeit
, publishers have
recently expressed increasing dissatisfaction about this.
The Federal Association of Digital Publishers and Newspaper Publishers (BDZV) criticized the lack of funding: “We wonder how credible the government actually is,” said BDZV board chairman Stefan Hilscher.
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil announced at the BDZV conference in September 2023 that his party would push for delivery funding in the current budget negotiations.
The FDP, on the other hand, was surprised at the newspaper publishers' dissatisfaction.
The Greens have been demanding delivery funding concepts for months.
(bohy)