According to a recent interview with German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, Germany will extend the reduced 7% VAT rate to electronic publications as now allowed in the EU as per Council Directive (EU) 2018/1713 of 6 November 2018 ({News-2018-11-08/A/2-previous coverage}). According to Scholz, the regulations for the extension of the reduced rate will be included as part of the annual tax law, which he expects to submit to parliament before Easter (21 April 2019). The reduced rate will apply for books, magazines, periodicals, and other publications that currently enjoy the reduced rate in printed form.