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France Receives Retail Rescue Report Proposing New Taxes on E‑Commerce

The government-commissioned study urges fiscal, regulatory steps to rebalance competition with online platforms.

Overview

  • Authored by Frédérique Macarez, Antoine Saintoyant and Dominique Schelcher, the roughly 100‑page report was delivered to ministers Vincent Jeanbrun and Serge Papin on Wednesday.
  • Thirty recommendations include a minimum €2 levy on online purchases of imported goods and treating logistics warehouses as taxable commercial surfaces.
  • The plan calls for dereferencing extra‑EU platforms that breach European sanitary, environmental or social rules, plus expanded mayoral powers over new retail installations.
  • Measures proposed to curb vacancy include capping certain commercial rents and increasing taxes on empty premises in city centers and priority neighborhoods.
  • The diagnosis cites a deep slump in ready‑to‑wear, e‑commerce sales rising from €65 billion to €175 billion in ten years, and growing risks of food deserts, with Shein’s first French physical store illustrating intensifying pressure on local shops.