diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/JournalReader.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/JournalReader.hs
index edd68f028..e21018f8d 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/JournalReader.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/JournalReader.hs
@@ -63,7 +63,6 @@ import System.Time (getClockTime)
 import Hledger.Data
 import Hledger.Utils
 import Prelude hiding (readFile)
-import Hledger.Utils.UTF8IOCompat (readFile)
 
 
 -- standard reader exports
@@ -196,7 +195,7 @@ includedirective = do
                 Right (ju,_) -> combineJournalUpdates [return $ journalAddFile (filepath,txt), ju] `catchError` (throwError . (inIncluded ++))
                 Left err     -> throwError $ inIncluded ++ show err
       where readFileOrError pos fp =
-                ErrorT $ liftM Right (readFile fp) `C.catch`
+                ErrorT $ liftM Right (readFile' fp) `C.catch`
                   \e -> return $ Left $ printf "%s reading %s:\n%s" (show pos) fp (show (e::C.IOException))
 
 journalAddFile :: (FilePath,String) -> Journal -> Journal
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs
index dc777116e..81ab28b24 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ import Data.Tree
 import Debug.Trace
 import System.Directory (getHomeDirectory)
 import System.FilePath((</>), isRelative)
+import System.IO
 import Test.HUnit
 import Text.ParserCombinators.Parsec
 import Text.Printf
@@ -490,3 +491,10 @@ expandPath curdir p = (if isRelative p then (curdir </>) else id) `liftM` expand
 firstJust ms = case dropWhile (==Nothing) ms of
     [] -> Nothing
     (md:_) -> md
+
+-- | Read a file in universal newline mode, handling whatever newline convention it may contain.
+readFile' :: FilePath -> IO String
+readFile' name =  do
+  h <- openFile name ReadMode
+  hSetNewlineMode h universalNewlineMode
+  hGetContents h
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs
index 10ed758c3..686845607 100644
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Utils.hs
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ openBrowserOn u = trybrowsers browsers u
 -- indicating whether we did anything.
 writeFileWithBackupIfChanged :: FilePath -> String -> IO Bool
 writeFileWithBackupIfChanged f t = do
-  s <- readFile f
+  s <- readFile' f
   if t == s then return False
             else backUpFile f >> writeFile f t >> return True
 
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ writeFileWithBackup :: FilePath -> String -> IO ()
 writeFileWithBackup f t = backUpFile f >> writeFile f t
 
 readFileStrictly :: FilePath -> IO String
-readFileStrictly f = readFile f >>= \s -> C.evaluate (length s) >> return s
+readFileStrictly f = readFile' f >>= \s -> C.evaluate (length s) >> return s
 
 -- | Back up this file with a (incrementing) numbered suffix, or give an error.
 backUpFile :: FilePath -> IO ()