Publishing and the price of paper

Sir, – In “Surging costs of paper cuts deep for news industry” (Business, August 16th), Laura Slattery points out that when input costs soar, there is little scope for newspaper and magazine publishers to escape the pain.

Given the current economic circumstances, increases in advertising and subscription rates are rarely a viable option.

Independent book publishers have faced a similar predicament, with as many as four notable price hikes in wood pulp last year.

Such “historic highs” for newsprint prices reinforce the issue repeatedly highlighted by Irish news publishers in its pre-budget calls for the Government to allow print and digital newspapers and magazines be zero-rated for VAT. – Yours, etc,