The position of Civic Development Forum and the Mises Institute on a draft of a fixed book price law
Warsaw, 31 March 2017
Ministry of Culture and National Heritage
The position of Civic Development Forum and the Mises Institute on a draft of a fixed book price law
Civil Development Forum (FOR) and the Mises Institute (IM) present their joint position in response to an invitation of concerned parties to submit position on a draft of a fixed book price law prepared by the Polish Chamber of Books, issued by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Prof. Piotr Gliński.
Enclosed please find an analysis prepared by researchers of FOR and IM, which discusses in detail the draft against the background of available statistical data and academic literature.
Our research indicates that fixed book prices will not meet expectations of the Polish Chamber of Books. Instead, it would place Poland among overregulated peripheral economies, such as Portugal and Greece, which, despite fixed book prices, have the lowest level of literacy in the EU.
All actions regulating the market should be checked regarding their influence on natural changes in the market that result from technological and organizational progress. Unfortunately, fixed book prices would curb the growth of market share belonging to internet bookstores and supermarkets, increasingly more popular in Poland. Fixed book prices prevent more efficient business models from transferring their savings to readers in the form of lower prices.
In the joint opinion of Civic Development Forum and the Mises Institute, work on the proposed draft law on fixed book prices should be discontinued and the project rejected. We believe that you will take into account the recommendations of the enclosed analysis.
Marek Tatała
Vice-President of the Foundation Civil Development Forum
Mateusz Benedyk
President of the Foundation The Mises Institute
See also: Analysis 4/2017: Fixed book price - lobbying against the interest of books
Files to download
