Amazon disputed the introduction of a postal tax on the delivery of books in France – Kommersant
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Amazon informed today, June 27, that he appealed to the Council of State of France the decision of the country’s authorities to introduce a postal fee for the delivery of books. In its complaint, the American company refers to the conclusions of the European Commission, which considered the measure of the French government unreasonable.
In April, the French authorities decided to introduce a postage fee of €3 for online orders of less than €35. The decision will come into force on 7 October. According to the government, this measure should encourage citizens to buy books from physical sellers, and not online and not in digital form. In this way, the authorities are trying to support traditional bookstores.
Amazon, in turn, believes that this measure will not help bookstores in any way, but it will hit the purchasing power of the French. The company cites statistics that show that shoppers purchase books digitally or order book delivery on Amazon simply because there is no bookstore near their home. According to the head of Amazon France, Frederic Duval, the government’s measure “will harm readers, authors and reading in general.”
Thus, more than 20% of the total number of French bookstores operate in Paris, while only 3% of the population lives in the capital. At the same time, more than 90% of the approximately 35 thousand French communes do not have bookstores on their territory. As a result, a survey by the French Institute of Public Opinion (Ifop) in 2021 showed that 45% of French people buy books online due to the lack of physical outlets in their area of residence. And in rural areas this figure reaches 81%.
In February, the European Commission already examined the situation by conclusion that the French authorities did not provide convincing arguments in favor of the introduction of postage.
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