"Rather than taxing second-hand books, let's consider other solutions to better remunerate authors."

Taxing second-hand books in order to "contribute to the remuneration of those who will make the books of tomorrow" : this is the proposal defended by Vincent Montagne, president of the National Publishing Union ( SNE ), at the Paris Book Festival on April 11.

On the same day, during Emmanuel Macron's visit to the same festival, the government discussed the creation of a " resale right to copyright ," which would apply to each resale of the same work. The idea would be to introduce a contribution to the second-hand book market, in order to preserve the single price of new books and better support authors, publishers, and translators.

Despite its laudable intentions, this measure would not only risk weakening a growing sector, putting many jobs at risk, but also restricting access to reading for the most vulnerable audiences, particularly young people and students, with no guarantee that the sums collected actually benefit the creators.

It's essential to remember that authors' remuneration is already included in the price of a new book; charging a second time for the same work would set an absurd precedent, one that one wouldn't imagine applying to other second-hand products. By introducing a tax, France would be opening a legal loophole incompatible with European regulations. Let's be clear: this tax cannot see the light of day as it stands. Rather than penalizing readers and those involved in the circular economy, fairer solutions must be explored.

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