Since the outbreak of COVID-19, people all around the world have become increasingly fond of ordering items online and having them delivered directly to their homes. However, some politicians are worried about the effect this trend has on the environment and smaller independent businesses, with one MP from ChristenUnie now calling on the Dutch government to introduce a tax on packages ordered online.

New tax for online orders in the Netherlands?

This week, Pieter Grinwis from ChristenUnie - one of the parties represented in the cabinet - presented a plan for a brand new tax in the Netherlands, designed to bring an end to the so-called “delivery madness.” 

The tax would be set at a fixed rate, for example a percentage of the overall value of the items delivered, with Grinwis arguing that it could help limit the number of “polluting journeys” made by delivery companies, and could be used to help support small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) compete with low prices at large online retailers. 

Grinwis hopes tax would help SMEs and protect the high street 

“Increasingly, local shops have to compete with the large online stores,” Grinwis is quoted by RTL Nieuws as saying: “As a result, SMEs seem to be losing the battle more and more and our shopping streets are becoming empty, while delivery vans with packages drive back and forth."

Grinwis believes that a small tax would help people to shop more conscientiously. It is not yet clear how many of his fellow party members support his proposal.