Portuguese textiles sector demands 20 euro tax on Temu and Shein purchases
Industry associations in Portugal are calling for the EU to apply a tax of 20 euros per order placed on Chinese e-commerce platforms, instead of the two euros that have been reported.
The executive director of the Textile and Clothing Association of Portugal (ATP), Ana Paula Dinis, believes that two euros per order “is a ridiculously low amount” for the tax that is being studied by the European Commission in order to curb the high volume of Shein and Temu items entering Europe. “We should apply a tax of 20 euros” to purchases made on these e-commerce platforms, she said in a statement to Diário de Notícias, suggesting that the amount charged should fund human and financial resources to ensure greater control of these orders at borders.
César Araújo, president of the National Association of Clothing and Apparel Industries (ANIVEC), also admits that Brussels’ preliminary proposal is “a scandal”. He added that articles are entering Europe “without any customs control”, which “can be clothes, weapons or other products”. These orders “don’t pay anything, don’t come with an invoice and don’t go through any controls. We’re talking about the biggest tax fraud of the 21st century”, he emphasised.
Both associations are therefore calling for an end to the de minimis rule, which exempts purchases of up to 150 euros from customs duties and the payment of VAT for transactions of less than 20 euros. “The de minimis must end and VAT and customs duties must be applied to purchases on these platforms. And this has to happen now, because we run the risk of no longer having industry or retail”, emphasises Ana Paula Dinis.
