The President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a reading law that puts in place a legislative and executive framework to unite reading in the society. The initiative aims to encourage reading in the country.

The reading law also set up a national fund for supporting reading initiatives across the nation.

The law has been described as an unprecedented cultural and legislative initiative by the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Shaikh Mohammad tweeted while revealing details of the law, that, “Reading material will be exempted from any fees or taxes for the purposes of distribution, publishing and printing. The law offers support for the publishing sector, and also provides facilities for authors and editors.”

“The law consolidates the cultural image of books in our society, and obliges coffee shops in shopping malls to offer reading material for its customers. The law will encourage the private sector to invest in the establishment of libraries and cultural centres. This will be done by providing the private sector with facilities, incentives and discounts,” Shaikh Mohammad tweeted.

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- Nandini