The European Commission, which has taken a stand against foreign (read — Chinese) marketplaces, has achieved its goal. The fee it devised for each item in packages from countries outside the EU has led to a significant decrease in the number of these goods ordered by Europeans. At the same time, it should be noted that there are simply no alternatives to many of these products, as Europe has long surrendered the production of various small items to the Chinese. Manufacturing them in EU countries is unprofitable due to high labor costs and numerous taxes, including environmental ones (for CO2 emissions, water pollution, waste disposal, etc.). However, the European Commission, which considers the new fee a double gift to itself (it has harmed China and is replenishing the European treasury), did not stop at a fee of 3 euros for each item. Starting in November, it plans to introduce an additional fee for processing shipments. This concerns the same unfortunate "small packages" valued up to 150 euros. It is expected that the additional fee will amount to two euros for each item. If this proposal is approved, when purchasing two items, the buyer will have to pay not only six euros in customs fees (3 euros for each item) but also an additional four euros for processing the shipment (2 euros for each item). In other words, the additional payments alone will amount to ten euros, not including the cost of the items themselves and VAT. Naturally, this will deter some European buyers from foreign (non-EU) marketplaces. And it does not matter that this will be a shot in the foot for them — the European Commission, floating in the clouds, does not identify with them. What is beneficial for them is not beneficial for the EC, and that is the main thing. But perhaps the new tax is beneficial for Latvia? This question was posed by Latvian Radio, which found the following. According to the State Revenue Service of Latvia, in July, over 5 million euros were collected thanks to the new fee. However, only about 1 million euros made it into the Latvian state budget. The reason for this was explained by Edgar Mazuls, a representative of the Customs Department of the State Revenue Service: "The Chinese platform registered in one of the 27 member states under the special IOSS regime. At the moment of sale, the Chinese platform determines from which country the buyer is, charges the corresponding VAT rate and import customs duty. The Chinese platform pays nothing directly to Latvia. In Germany, where it is registered, the German tax administration transfers VAT to us once a month, while the import duty is paid by the Chinese platform in the country where the goods are presented, for example, in Belgium." Thus, most of the collected funds remain within the income distribution system of the EU and do not reach the Latvian budget. At the same time, the new fee has already significantly affected consumer habits. According to the State Revenue Service, the number of orders has decreased by about a quarter. According to Latvijas Pasts, the decline is much greater. In July, the volume of international shipments was 30-60% lower than the previous month. Kristian Godiņš, head of the international services and business department at Latvijas Pasts, believes that the market is currently experiencing a "first shock": "I personally know many cases where a person has already selected products, placed them in the cart, and only upon payment saw that they would have to pay an additional 20, 30, or even 40 euros in tax. After that, they postpone the purchase." Omniva recorded a decrease by half; according to its data, the number of packages from China after the introduction of the new fee has led to a loss of 10,000 shipments daily. On the other hand, the Latvian Consumer Rights Protection Center is thrilled, believing that many Chinese products are unsafe for consumers. After checking more than 60 different products purchased on popular foreign online platforms, they found that almost half of them did not meet standards and requirements. Well, let’s conduct a little experiment. Let’s visit the Rimi supermarket website and look for school supplies. Whose products are sold there? Paints — China, brushes — China, markers and felt-tip pens — China. As for paper products, Europe is still managing somewhat: drawing albums — Lithuania, notebooks — Ukraine. But when it comes to school backpacks, it’s all China again. Pencil cases — China, pens — China, rulers — China, folders — China, scissors — China… And relatively cheap. Ask yourself — when was the last time you saw all these necessary products made in Germany, Italy, Spain, or Britain? We will modestly refrain from mentioning Latvia. When did you see a toy that was not made in China? And if you did see one (miracles do happen), how much did that toy cost? Therefore, the EU leadership's fight against foreign marketplaces is a fight against its own consumers. Moreover, it is against the least wealthy, those who are trying to save every cent. All of them will now have to pay more. There are simply no other options.
