Filipino Book Blockade Shot Down

On May 24, the Department of Finance of the Philippines ceased imposing taxes and duties on imported books, a situation which had existed since March in violation of the international Florence Agreement of 1950, a treaty which seeks to eliminate obstacles between developing countries and education by facilitating the flow of literature across borders.

Signed by the Philippines in 1979, the Agreement guaranteed tax-free access to foreign-made books, but the financial blockade on works of fiction such as Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series attempted to circumvent the agreement by arbitrarily distinguishing between non-educational books and true literature. Such moralistic distinctions only further the division between the literate privileged and illiterate poor.

From the Philippine Star:

It should never be left to government — and not even to literary critics — to decide which books are “educational” or of “social or cultural value” and which are not. Literary tastes and fashions change, as do societies themselves, and there is certainly more to literature than its moral content or the lack thereof, as important as this aspect may be to some readers and policymakers. Books facilitate cultural exchange, fostering in the reader a better understanding of the outside world and improving his or her ability to engage with that world.

As with democracy itself, literature must allow for a wide variety of subjects, themes, treatments, and styles, even the shallowest or most repugnant of which helps define a range of standards that can guide intelligent readers in forming their own informed assessments and conclusions. Thus, all books deserve equal protection and consideration under the applicable laws, as far as their tax-exempt status is concerned.