The parliamentary process of maneuver 2026 ends with the introduction of a series of fiscal interventions and one, in particular, redesigns the levy one-commerce. Despite the criticisms coming from marketplace like Alibaba, Temu or Shein, there is no substantial change in the last step in the Budget Committee. A crackdown represented by duties on micro-parcels is coming from next January 1st imports and logistical flows from non-EU countries. The new measure will therefore not apply to shipments between EU countries.
The novelty in question is a fixed contribution of two eurosapplied to all shipments with a declared value of less than 150 euros and requiring customs compliance upon entry into Italy. We remind you that every package arriving from abroad, regardless of its value, content and seller or destination, must pass to the office responsible for the control and registration of goods crossing the state border, and for the assessment and collection of customs duties and other duties due for export and import.
The purpose of the disbursement in question is twofold. On the one hand, cover the management and administrative costs of customs, linked to non-EU parcels, and – on the other – at least partially rebalance the competition between Italian physical stores and Asian retail giantse-commerce low cost. At the same time, the new tax serves to counteract the excess of small purchases from non-EU countries, often considered unsustainable from an environmental point of view, given the long distance the parcels travel.
Not intended to directly support Italian companiesbut rather to generate revenue for the statethe tax measure could, however, soon clash with European legislation. In fact, Brussels is already planning to introduce a similar three-euro duty for 2026. Therefore, Italy would risk imposing a duplicate contribution on a matter which, moreover, falls under exclusive EU competence in terms of trade policies.
From a strictly technical-legal point of view, the tax on parcels is not on the type of product or purchase, nor on the real price of the goods. What matters, however, is the place of origin and the value declared at the time of importation. The consumer will not have to do anything: in fact, the customs control it is automatic and the contribution will be withheld at this stage. In practice, the contribution will be applied by the seller and reported on final priceas an increase in expense. Some platforms offer exemptions or programs premiumbut in most cases the parcel tax it will be an unavoidable additional cost for the consumer.
According to estimates by the State General Accounting Office, there would be more than 320 million purchases online and the shipments to which the tax measure in question will apply during the year. The tax will affect most small online orders from non-EU countries, especially China, where the volume of e-commerce is greater.
For families or regular consumers of shopping onlinethe economic impact could prove to be significant. For example, those who make five or six purchases a month could find themselves paying more than one hundred euros more per year, just for this contribution.
Furthermore, for small purchases, the contribution appears particularly relevant. On a package worth 5 euros, for example, the tax would represent a 40% increase on the total price. This could actually discourage them low value online shoppingcausing some customers to return to i physical storesbut without really improving the competitiveness of Italian companies and Made in Italy.
