Me
Decades ago, I would not mind not buying anything but books. I bought books and books taught me what I am today. Today, when I see this news, I am confused what the state is actually doing. Declaring a year as National Reading Year on one hand and increasing tax on books, now requiring every book to be registered with BICMA. Is is some kind of joke. What about the books bought by us, as individual? Can BICMA review contents of the books I buy? Even if they can, do they have the right to determine what I read?
Do they really know what kind of content is good for a reader? Right to information and right to education are fundamental right of every citizen and state has no power to deprive of such right in any manner or form. And above, what about those contents available online? Can BICMA regulate those considering almost all educated Bhutanese lot, from school kids to politicians to u name it...particularly the youth? What measures does BICMA have to address those unverified and unknown sources with millions of links?
Decades ago, I would not mind not buying anything but books. I bought books and books taught me what I am today. Today, when I see this news, I am confused what the state is actually doing. Declaring a year as National Reading Year on one hand and increasing tax on books, now requiring every book to be registered with BICMA. Is is some kind of joke. What about the books bought by us, as individual? Can BICMA review contents of the books I buy? Even if they can, do they have the right to determine what I read?
Do they really know what kind of content is good for a reader? Right to information and right to education are fundamental right of every citizen and state has no power to deprive of such right in any manner or form. And above, what about those contents available online? Can BICMA regulate those considering almost all educated Bhutanese lot, from school kids to politicians to u name it...particularly the youth? What measures does BICMA have to address those unverified and unknown sources with millions of links?
Wabgyel Dorji
As a legal official and legal student, I would not jump into conclusion before analysing the facts .
Me
Sorry m not jumping to any conclusions but going by facts that r available indicate enough that the loss is finally going to be the readers not the sellers. How many book stores do we hv in the entire country? We keep on making rules that would cause inconvenience to those handful of stores, then the question of new stores is very much unlikely to emerge. While we appreciate that there should be adequate regulatory measures to ensure that books sold are within the parameters of Bhutanese norms, socially and culturally acceptable, Regulations should not be such that it would ultimately reduce accessibility and affordability to the common people whether through tax or other measures because books are source of education and must be encouraged and regulated to the minimum possible. It's like telecom services taxes, who actually pays, not tcell or bmobile but the users. I personally fee l that anything that helps the larger people specially in areas of education should be least regulated and instead facilitate and encourage more not necessarily through free taxes or financially but the simple regulatory measures and reduction of taxes if possible and atleast not to increase. With the present taxes, if I buy a Black's law dictionary, it would not cost less than over Nu.8000 to 20000 compared to Rs.5000 to 12000 across the border.
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