France targets cheap Chinese goods with fee on packages

Asian, notably Chinese, online sellers nonstop billions of tiny packages into the EU each year. Photo: JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
Source: AFP

France wants to commencement charging non-EU online sellers a handling interest for each low-value bundle shipped to home customers, authorities ministers said Tuesday arsenic the state copes with an influx of inexpensive goods from China.

Such a fee, of "a fewer euros" per parcel, would assistance screen the outgo of checking the incoming billions of tiny packages each twelvemonth ordered by EU consumers via platforms specified arsenic Chinese-founded firms Temu and Shein.

In 2024, 4.6 cardinal packages each worthy nether 150 euros ($170) entered the EU -- much than 145 per 2nd -- with 91 percent originating successful China.

Some 800 cardinal specified packages were shipped to France unsocial past year. Merchandise worthy little than 150 euros, excluding VAT, purchased by message and sent straight from a 3rd state is not taxable to EU customs duties.

France's curate for nationalist accounts, Amelie de Montchalin, said during a sojourn to Paris's Charles-de-Gaulle airdrome that the handling interest should beryllium paid "by the importers, the platforms, and not consumers".

France would complaint "a tiny level rate" per package, which she said would magnitude to "a fewer euros" (dollars), oregon "a fewer cents" per point purchased.

France hopes specified a determination could travel into unit adjacent year, with a authorities authoritative saying that the fees collected "would concern the checks" astatine points of entry.

Platforms specified arsenic Shein would beryllium asked to wage a hadling interest of 'a fewer euros' per package. Photo: MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP
Source: AFP

France is hoping to pull different EU members to the thought to marque it harder for platforms to circumvent specified a fee.

"We can't bash this alone, due to the fact that if we bash this unsocial the flows volition spell to different country," Finance Minister Eric Lombard said during the aforesaid visit.

"We're hoping to rapidly unite a radical of countries that could instrumentality specified a measure," added De Montchalin.

The program is to complaint the interest until 2028 erstwhile the EU could signifier retired the customs-free presumption of packages worthy little than 150 euros.

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Source: AFP