As a writer, Teemu Keskisarja opposes decisions that he accepted as a member of parliament

Over 900 Finnish authors have signed an open letterwhere we criticize the book industry’s shortcomings. The letter demands, among other things, the cancellation of the VAT increase on books.

Among the signatories is also a non-fiction writer and a member of parliament Teemu Middle Series (p.s.). What makes the situation special is that, as an MP of the ruling party, he was involved in approving the increase in the spring.

“I don’t usually sign any joint statements, I write mine myself, but now I made an exception because the writers are about justice and truth,” Keskisarja commented to HS by email.

According to him, politics is killing one’s favorite children. He says that he is “fucked up by the book tax” as much as some other representative of the ruling party is by the cut of the services of his own manager.

The government plans to raise the value added tax on books from ten to fourteen percent. In the rest of Europe, the value added tax on a book is on average six and, for example, in Norway, Ireland and Great Britain it is zero.

Most However, Keskisarija is saddened by the decision in which audiobook readers were included as recipients of loan reimbursements.

“As a deputy member of the education committee, I am ashamed of it,” he says.

Keskisarja characterizes audiobooks as “simply human shit” and doesn’t consider “jogging around with wires in your head” as reading even neurologically.

According to an income study commissioned by the Finnish Writers’ Association and the Finnish Writers’ Association, in 2022 the author received about one-fifth of the royalties of a printed book for his latest work sold on streaming services.

In their open letter, the authors also want an increase in public support for literature. They also demand that the regulation improving the position of the author of the Copyright Act must be put into practice.

CEO of Bookbeat, which offers audiobook services Niclas Sandin has defended himself against criticism from writers by emphasizing that audiobooks have made even more Finns spend money on literature, which has also been distributed as income to writers.

Middle series says that he will submit a legislative initiative to the parliament regarding the Copyright Act.

“Writers want to live on their own work and not on handouts,” he says.

The middle series already told in April In an interview with HSthat he has forbidden the making of audiobook versions of his own books.

Teemu Keskisarja is a historian by profession and has published several non-fiction books on Finnish history and culture. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for Basic Finns in the last parliamentary elections in 2023.