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Customs taxes influence the decision of private persons on e-commerce in the European Union

Gertrūda Bakšienė
Coordinator of the Customs Brokers Group, UAB "Skubios siuntos", UPS Authorised Representative in Lithuania; MBA student on the "Customs Process Management" programme at Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania, Lithuania
Published 15 Jan 2024
Customs taxes influence the decision of private persons on e-commerce in the European Union
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Customs taxes are a form of taxation imposed on goods imported into a country. They are typically levied on the value of the goods, and are intended to protect domestic industries from foreign competition. In the European Union (EU), customs duties are harmonized across all member states. This means that the same rate of duty is applied to the same goods, regardless of which EU country they are imported into, however, there are some exceptions to this rule. Also, not only Duties has to be paid before release to free circulation. E-commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services online. It has become increasingly popular in recent years, as it offers consumers a convenient and affordable way to shop. However, the growth of e-commerce has also led to an increase in the number of goods being imported into the EU. The influence of customs taxes on e-commerce imports can have a significant impact on private persons. For example, if a private person imports goods from a country outside of the EU, they may have to pay customs taxes on those goods. This can make imported goods more expensive, it can also take more time for delivery, and can discourage private persons from importing goods from outside of the EU. The following sections of this paper will explore this topic in more detail and will discuss the various factors that can influence the impact of customs taxes on e-commerce imports for private persons and propose a theoretical model of how customs taxes affect the e-commerce of private persons.

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