Cover prices increase for Malawi newspapers after newsprint VAT: ‘Cruel economic times’

Newspaper cover prices have increased in Malawi with the country media giant Times Group announcing the new prices for all of its titles.

Times Group titles
Times Group titles

The flagship dail newspaper, The Daily Times will now  cost K450 but its Wednesday edition which carries Business Times insert will be K500, the publication said.

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) Malawi chapter newspaper of the year has also raised the cover price of its national weekly, Malawi News and Sunday title, the Sunday Times to K500 and K450 respectively.

The latest price rise will mean it is the most expensive newspaper.

The publication said it has increased the  cover prices  because government has slapped a value-added tax on import of newsprint which is essential raw material in newspaper production.

The media giant said they increased the cover price to “deliver the committed excellence” in the quality of their news titles, saying they have tried in the past to absorb pressure of production costs which has always been rising due to the free fall of the Kwacha. Newspaper production mostly depend on imported material.

The Daily Times on Monday posted an editorial comment which lamented the VAT on newsprint, saying  the newspaper industry will bessuffering from a financial stress caused by VAT, which could rise even further.

The paper said Malawians are living in “one of the cruel economic times.”

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Sunganani
7 years ago

Perhaps they should seriously think of how they can monetize their websites. The trend seems to be that the print media is a slowly dying breed. They have plenty time to strategize.

ANALYST
ANALYST
7 years ago

Thats the DPP government I have known since 2011 – always hatching plans and attempts to meddle in the affairs of the media! This un-democratic government is hell bent at making Malawi a Mafia state! Mxiiiiiiiiiiiiii

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