Trudy Simpson, Staff Reporter
Patrons doing back-to-school shopping at a bookstore in downtown Kingston recently. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
THE 2005 TEXTBOOK survey conducted by the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) is showing that textbooks prices on average have not increased by much, contrary to fears by book industry representatives that policy changes in the General Consumption Tax (GCT), would translate into huge hikes in that area.
Nonetheless, the CAC has urged consumers to still shop around for the best deal when buying books. The CAC said yesterday that the survey recorded average increases, which ranged from one to 20 per cent, for commonly used textbooks.
The survey showed that of 100 textbooks surveyed across secondary and primary levels, only three increased by 30 per cent or more when compared to last year's survey.
The three books are: Espanol Para La Vida 4 CXC Examination levels by Zena Moore; Hexagone (Book 1) a French text by Ken Foden and A Student Guide 5th Edition by J. Breadshaw et al.
PRINTING SERVICES
The CAC said the lack of impact of the GCT rating "was due largely to a decision by the Ministry of Finance and Planning to waive the GCT that had been otherwise applicable to printing services for textbooks."
In a statement yesterday, the CAC said the 'marginal increase' for most texts was within the range it expected,
taking into consideration a net one per cent devaluation of the Jamaican dollar relative to the U.S. dollar over the period July 2004 to July 2005 and external increases in publishers' fees that would have been incurred and passed on to consumers. Another factor was the increase in overall operating costs for retailers.
The Finance Ministry earlier this year changed the GCT rating from zero-rated to tax-exempt. A zero-rated status means that a business can claim back GCT paid on most expenses as well as inventory. On the other hand, an exempt status (also called input tax) does not allow the business to claim back any GCT paid.
The CAC decides which books are surveyed by working with the Ministry of Education and the schools to see which are the most popular books.
More information on the textbook survey can be found on the CAC's web site, www.consumeraffairsjamaica.gov.jm. or call the CAC at 1-888-991-4470 or 926-1650-2.
