Publishers Association President Afonin complains that paying UAH 1,000 to vaccinated Ukrainians does not apply to purchase of books
KYIV. Nov 18 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Oleksandr Afonin, President of the Ukrainian Association of Book Publishers and Book Sellers, expressed regret that the presidential program for paying UAH 1,000 to vaccinated citizens does not apply to the purchase of books, and urged the authorities to stop considering the cultural sector as something secondary, marginal and unnecessary.
"What else needs to be done to destroy culture, education and publishing? The answer is this: the Ukrainian government, in particular the executive, should continue to do what it has done and is doing so far in relation to the cultural sector, the humanitarian sector in general. This means considering the sphere of culture as something secondary, marginal, optional, as some kind of load that does not need support from the government, and in general does not in any way affect the state of society, its development, its economy, moral, psychological and social status," he said in a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.
In particular, Afonin said that book publishing should not be left exclusively in the position of market relations, but on the contrary, it is necessary to provide support from the government.
He also noted the importance of programs to promote books and reading, which would be funded by the government. The sector also needs tax incentives, affordable lending against government guarantees, subsidies, direct institutional assistance, as well as the fight against piracy.