Some MP’s pushing new tax on online shopping deliveries

The ChristenUnie wants a tax on the delivery of packages ordered from an online store. The party seeks to curb the “delivery madness” that it believes causes extra CO2 emissions, which contribute to global warming, and unsafe situations in traffic.

“Ordered before 23:59, delivered for free tomorrow. It sounds so easy and often is. But the consequences of this crazy delivery economy are huge,” said ChristenUnie MP Pieter Grinwis. There are downsides to the many delivery movements, he said. He wants to use a tax to encourage consumers to order bundled as much as possible in order to limit the number of deliveries.

According to the party, it is even better to go to the shopping street to get your shopping done. Traditional stores are having a hard time due to the high costs and fierce competition from superpowers like Bol.com, Amazon, and Coolblue. If possible, the smallest coalition party also wants the government to take smaller online stores into account.

Precisely what the tax will look like, the MP leaves up to the Cabinet. It could be a fixed amount of a few euros or a percentage that, like VAT, depends on the product’s price. ChristenUnie also wants the Cabinet to ensure that the proceeds of the tax benefit the local economy.

How feasible the plan is for the already overburdened tax authority remains to be seen. The party understands this and asked the Cabinet to look at when the introduction is possible. Grinwis will make the proposal on Wednesday during the parliamentary debate, during which the parties’ financial specialists are considering the budget for next year.