diff --git a/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Odt/ContentReader.hs b/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Odt/ContentReader.hs
index df90880fa..c4220b0db 100644
--- a/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Odt/ContentReader.hs
+++ b/src/Text/Pandoc/Readers/Odt/ContentReader.hs
@@ -577,7 +577,10 @@ read_spaces       = matchingElement NsText "s" (
 read_line_break  :: InlineMatcher
 read_line_break   = matchingElement NsText "line-break"
                     $ returnV linebreak
-
+--
+read_tab         :: InlineMatcher
+read_tab          = matchingElement NsText "tab"
+                    $ returnV space
 --
 read_span        :: InlineMatcher
 read_span         = matchingElement NsText "span"
@@ -585,6 +588,7 @@ read_span         = matchingElement NsText "span"
                     $ matchChildContent [ read_span
                                         , read_spaces
                                         , read_line_break
+                                        , read_tab
                                         , read_link
                                         , read_note
                                         , read_citation
@@ -604,6 +608,7 @@ read_paragraph    = matchingElement NsText "p"
                     $ matchChildContent [ read_span
                                         , read_spaces
                                         , read_line_break
+                                        , read_tab
                                         , read_link
                                         , read_note
                                         , read_citation
@@ -630,6 +635,7 @@ read_header       = matchingElement NsText "h"
   children <- ( matchChildContent [ read_span
                                   , read_spaces
                                   , read_line_break
+                                  , read_tab
                                   , read_link
                                   , read_note
                                   , read_citation
diff --git a/test/Tests/Readers/Odt.hs b/test/Tests/Readers/Odt.hs
index 9b5ec6b9e..edff4fe2c 100644
--- a/test/Tests/Readers/Odt.hs
+++ b/test/Tests/Readers/Odt.hs
@@ -176,6 +176,7 @@ namesOfTestsComparingToNative   = [ "blockquote"
                                   , "referenceToText"
                                   , "simpleTable"
                                   , "simpleTableWithCaption"
+                                  , "tab"
 --                                , "table"
                                   , "textMixedStyles"
                                   , "tableWithContents"
diff --git a/test/odt/native/tab.native b/test/odt/native/tab.native
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..948e81cd5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/odt/native/tab.native
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+[Para [Str "Three",Space,Str "tabs",Space,Str "between",Space,Str "A",Space,Str "and",Space,Str "B",Space,Str "will",Space,Str "be",Space,Str "converted",Space,Str "to",Space,Str "one",Space,Str "Space:",Space,Str "A",Space,Str "B."]]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/odt/odt/tab.odt b/test/odt/odt/tab.odt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a2c80f45c
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/odt/odt/tab.odt differ