The package delivery comes?

Online Boom in Christmas gifts The package delivery comes?

The Online Boom in this year’s Christmas business, heating up the debate on the negative impact of the shipping trade. For excitement, the idea of a new package levy, the retail profit made on the weekend.

Since the weekend there is talk of a parcel tax that relates to the Online trade. The payment for the shipments from Online retailers to the benefit of the stationary retail trade in the inner cities. At the same time Ensure the employees to grow. The focus on the risk of Corona infections, Stress, and often a small payment advanced. Every third of full-time employees in the shipping trade, working for low pay as one of the German press Agency present the answer of the German Federal employment Agency, on a request from the Left in the Bundestag shows.

The stores are closed due to the Corona-lock downs is currently to a large extent. The previously emerging shipping trade is booming all the more stronger. With the parcel tax – an idea from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group – is to be financed according to the Corona-Shutdown-a “downtown Fund”. Group Vice Andreas Jung and the municipal policy spokesman, Christian Haase want the amount of the levy in accordance with the order is value.

“The levy is collected from the Online merchant, and by him to the tax paid”, – stated in the requirement catalogue, available from the dpa. “With the revenue from this, the Online is involved in trading on the costs of shared local infrastructure.” Previously, the “Welt am Sonntag had reported” about it.

Young and Haase stressed on Sunday, the Online remote use of the municipal infrastructure, as well as the dealer. “But the long-distance trade contributes so far, nothing to Finance.” Retailers paid, however, to trade tax. You should not pay the parcel tax, therefore, even if you offer as a second pillar to an online portal products for shipping.

Mixed Opinions

The trade Association Germany (HDE) is braced against a levy with the Argument of international competition. HDE managing Director Stefan Genth was the question of whether, in the case of deliveries from the far East, always taxes would be paid. “A parcel tax, many domestic Online retailers, the correct and punctual taxpayers would be.”

For the oppositional FDP a parcel tax would be “a new bureaucracy monster”. For the SPD group Vice Achim Post commented positively on the proposal: “A kind of Corona-tax from Online retailers such as Amazon can be a building block for more justice in the crisis and the retail on the ground support.” The managing Director of the German Association of cities and Gemeindebunds, Gerd Landsberg, said the “Rheinische Post”, it could be right, “to achieve a new levy funds for the support of distressed inner cities and towns.”

Shipping trade is booming

Since 2008, the number of persons employed in the shipping trade has according to the Federal Agency, has nearly tripled – from 60.022 on 161.331 in March 2020. According to a YouGov survey from mid-November 2019 mailed packet only every Fourth Christmas this year, it was already in front of the store closures due to Corona is already 33 per cent. The consumer in Germany bought according to the Federal Association of E-Commerce and mail order trade, in October and November for EUR 17.4 billion online 17.5 percent more than October/November of 2019.

The median income in the mail-order trade full-time employees in the past year, according to the Federal Agency, but only in the case of 2.663, – Euro gross per month – 738 euros less than the average of all industries. Every third of full-time employees in the shipping trade, worked for less than two-thirds of the average salary, for less than 2,267 K Euro in a month. The share of low-wage employees was nearly 15 percentage points higher than overall. The 2019 in the mail order business started Jobs were temporary, according to the Federal Agency, around 60 percent. In addition, over 29,000 shipping trade worked in March, employed as mini-jobbers.

Shutdown conditions have deteriorated

Increased Corona contagions in sorting and distribution centers of Amazon in the days headlines. Infections were according to the Union Verdi, for example in Garbsen near Hannover, in Bayreuth and in Borgstedt, Schleswig-Holstein, known. The Shutdown is deteriorating at online retailers due to the increased volume of the conditions, said Verdi Board member Stefanie use Berger.

The Left-deputies Sabine Zimmermann, who had made the request to the Federal Agency, said: “companies such as Amazon and Zalando made so far, sales in the Billions, and are now among the profiteers of the pandemic.” Amazon had eight in the third quarter of 2020 in its global profit compared to the previous year, tripled. In the case of the employees, little to come of it.

Amazon rejected the allegations. The own Corona-protection measures were part of on the countries regulations. “In Germany alone, we have ordered more than 470 million units of hand sanitizer, 21 million Pairs of gloves, 19 million masks, face shield, or other mouth, nose protection, and 39 million packs of disinfecting wipes,” said a spokesman. What anbetreffe the average wage of an employee in the case of Amazon, the after 24 months at 2,600 euros gross per month, which is significantly above the low-wage limit. More than half of its 16,000 permanent employees, be longer than five years.

Should consumers increasingly rely on online dealer with fair products manufactured and distributed? Zimmermann finds a buying behavior “very welcome”, but it could afford not all. Asked whether Social and sustainability standards by law – in particular, collective agreements for the employees.

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