Taxing Used Books? The Idea That Drives Michel-Edouard Leclerc, France's 3rd Largest Bookseller, Crazy

"In the land of the Enlightenment, we don't only have brilliant ideas." This is the title of the op-ed he signed on his blog. Furious, Michel-Edouard Leclerc took up his pen on Sunday to protest the idea of ​​taxing used books. An aberration, according to him. He is convinced that such a measure would be a hindrance to all readers, and would particularly penalize the most vulnerable. Why is this subject so important to him? Because Leclerc supermarkets also sell books, both new and used. He also points out: "Leclerc is the 3rd largest bookstore in France."

This means that for every used book sold, a portion would be donated to the authors, publishers, and translators. These transactions are currently exempt from copyright. Today, the used book market represents 20% of books purchased in France.

Emmanuel Macron had already raised this idea last year at the Book Festival, without it coming to anything concrete. This year, it went somewhat unnoticed, but Rachida Dati , the Minister of Culture, did announce that she wanted to extend copyright to used books. This would allow authors and publishers to be paid for these purchases.

Precisely to ensure this, the minister intends to refer the matter to the Council of State . The idea is to establish a "resale right for copyright." This would be done through government channels, within a text on the subject already drafted in the Senate. In concrete terms, the proceeds from these royalties on second-hand books would be transferred to a collective management organization, to support creation.

This tax would therefore apply to all resale platforms: Amazon , but also the Book Exchange, for example. Social and solidarity economy players, such as Emmaüs, are exempt. Very small second-hand retailers, such as the booksellers on the Quais de Seine in Paris, could also be exempt.

The National Publishers' Union even claims to be "satisfied" with such a measure. It is also advocating for a tax of 30 cents. They had already fought for a single price for books. This time, the sector wants to address an anomaly: second-hand platforms are increasingly offering newly published books at a discounted price. In a study conducted among approximately 2,000 authors, 42% of them found their book available at a discounted price on the first day of publication.

But the co-founder of La Bourse aux livres, a leader in the resale of used books, continues to offer a string of arguments. First, this tax would weaken a growing sector, putting many jobs at risk. The increase in book prices would then discourage reading for the most disadvantaged audiences. He also points out that authors' remuneration is already included in the purchase of a new book, so adding such a tax could create a breach for all other second-hand products.

Used books are also more environmentally friendly. A second-hand book purchased on a French platform produces 3.5 times less carbon dioxide than a new book.

So, opponents of this tax have other ideas, notably to establish a minimum delay between the publication of a work and its release on the second-hand market. The idea of ​​a marketing chronology, modeled on cinema, is precisely what Michel-Édouard Leclerc is defending. "Everyone would benefit from it," he says. As a skilled businessman, he even thinks that in marketing terms, "it could be clever!"