A nasty surprise
Parcel Tax Significantly More Expensive Than Announced
A rude awakening following Wednesday’s National Council vote on the parcel tax! The tax isn’t two euros per parcel, but 2.40 euros. How did this happen? Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer is adding 20 percent sales tax on top of the two euros. Many people overlooked this. The NEOS party is reacting with anger.
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen According to the Ministry of Finance, the parcel tax is expected to bring in around 280 million euros a year to the state treasury. This is intended to help finance the VAT reduction on selected staple foods.
The tax takes effect on October 1 for all online retailers with annual sales exceeding 100 million euros. However, according to the Trade Association, around 4,000 smaller Austrian retailers who sell through online marketplaces are also indirectly affected.
The Ministry of Finance has always claimed that the parcel tax amounts to two euros. However, that is only half the truth. If you read the law carefully, you’ll see that the two euros is the net amount. Gross—that is, including 20 percent sales tax—it costs shipping service providers 2.40 euros.
Critics of the tax have warned from the start that retailers will pass this tax on to customers. As a result, consumers are effectively financing the reduction in the value-added tax on food themselves, following the adage: in one pocket, out the other...
NEOS Distances Itself from the Decisions
NEOS Secretary-General Douglas Hoyos doesn’t mince words. “The parcel tax was and is a priority for the SPÖ, just like the reduction in VAT on basic foodstuffs—neither of which are issues close to our hearts here at NEOS. In return, it was important to us to implement reforms that ease the burden on people and make life easier for Austrians,” said Hoyos, referring to free kindergarten and the reduction in non-wage labor costs.
Originally, the parcel tax was supposed to target only giant Asian discount retailers like Shein or Temu; now the tax also affects Austrian retailers. “We consider this fundamentally wrong. For the sake of the coalition, we had to vote in favor of it in the National Council. However, we continue to urge the SPÖ to take the industry’s vocal criticism and concerns seriously and to reconsider the proposal for a parcel tax,” Hoyos appealed.
EU Legal Requirement
The Ministry of Finance does not understand the uproar. “The rules of value-added tax law apply to the parcel tax. The parcel tax—just like all other excise taxes—is therefore subject to a value-added tax rate. Value-added tax must be applied to the total amount due. This is required by EU law and is not specific to the parcel tax.”
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