PLR in Slovenia

slovenia

PLR system was de facto introduced in Slovenia in 2004. De iure it was mentioned and declared in The Law on Libraries some years earlier, following the EU Directive.

The money is fixed in the state budget, fixing the sum for it as 25% of the sum, spent for the book purchases for public libraries at the state (Ministry of culture) level (app. one half of the books, bought for public libraries, is paid by the local communities). So we are talking app. 750.000 EUR annually for PLR in the period 2004 – 2006.

The sum is divided into two parts. The first half goes directly to the authors, according to number of lending of their works in public libraries. Slovenia has excellent system (reached on internet) – COBISS – showing all the lending by title and by author in 60 libraries over the country (including their distanced subsidies, all together 260 lending places). System does not include the facts from the school libraries, which are impressive (all the schools – e.g. cc 500 elementary schools, 250 middle schools, all high schools and universities have libraries of their own, financed by Ministry of education and by their own sources). (Average citizen of Slovenia reads 11 books per year from public libraries, and buys only 2 – year 2005!) Talking about real payments for 2004: there were 995 authors, entitled to PLR payments in Slovenia; maximum payment was 4.160 EUR, and minimum 45 EUR.

The second half is spent for scholarships to different authors. The money is divided by professional organisations of different authors; they create their own criteria. The main are: quality, genuineness, talent. In the year 2004 we had 82 annual scholarships: 26 for writers, 29 for translators, 15 for illustrators and photographers, 6 were given to music and movie authors. There were 16, worth EUR 6.250 and more, 47 between EUR 1.670 and EUR 6.250, and 19 summing less than EUR 1.670. (Average annual – brut – salary in Slovenia is 12.500 EUR.)

Generally we may say, that PLR system in Slovenia is OK. What we miss, is more money. Slovenia is a small country (2 millions) and it’s publishing industry means cc 60% of all “cultural” activities in the GDP. You can hardly reach the profit on such a small market. That’s why just now there is very hot discussion in Slovenia about unification of VAT level. The idea is to rise taxes at the consumption side and cut the taxation of salaries. Thus Slovenia should increase it’s level of GDP growth to 7% p.a. Some young economists, well stuffed with the theory and econometric models and less experienced in real life suggest, that all the culture should live or die (with higher taxes!), depending on market results. The state could, at some (as low as possible) level, fund some cultural needs, important for the nation and it’s cultural existence.

The authors in Slovenia will do their best to increase the money for PLR. Their idea is that a tripled sum, compared to existing one, could give a needed direct support to cultural creativity. They also demand 0 level of VAT on cultural products and refund of all previously paid taxes within the cultural sphere.

Later on some other questions should be worked out; today a thick novel and a tiny picture book for children mean the same from PLR point of view; authors of school text books line up with fiction writers; a book of poems is equal to a book of stories or to a novel; translation from English is equal to translation from Latin, etc., etc. But basically: PLR system is accepted as a right direction to support creativity in the major part of public opinion in Slovenia.