EU parcel tax ‘will not slow Chinese retailers’: Swiss Post boss

The European Union’s customs duty on small parcels from third countries has had a knock-on impact at Swiss Post. The number of parcels sent to the EU has fallen by a double-digit percentage. “However, things should gradually return to normal,” Swiss Post director Pascal Grieder told the Schweiz am Wochenende. This is what happened in the United States, where a similar tax had an even greater impact initially, he said in the newspaper interview. + Swiss lawmakers demand curbs on Chinese online retailers Grieder doubts “that the aim of protecting the market from Chinese imports will be achieved”, as companies such as the Chinese low-cost online retailer Temu are setting up large warehouses in Europe to avoid the tax. A flat-rate customs duty of €3 per item originating from a third country has been levied in the EU since July. In principle, sellers or importers are responsible for paying this duty. Some retailers are passing this cost on to consumers by selling their goods at a higher …