Would you pay an on-line shopping tax to save local retail shopping?

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In Germany they are bringing in an online tax to bail out retail shopping.

www.dw.com/en/german-mps-propose-online-shopping-tax-to-save-city-centers/a-56001395

As a retailer I have felt unfairly disadvantaged to online sellers who pay no business rates which the Government collects from shops; online selling fees go abroad to multinational corporations whereas our shop rents are paid to mainly local UK business owners.
Would people be willing to pay a bit more online to save high street shopping from disappearing & have much of it converted into housing?
The amount collected by the Gov in business rates is billions and there will be a huge drop in their tax income if high street retailers disappear.

YABU - Would not support a tax

YANBU- Would support a tax

Absolutely. I have been forced to shop online for everything for much of the last year as shielding. I want the shops to be there at the end.
Online isn't always cheaper and yet their overheads are much lower.

Personally no, because there are delivery costs involved in buying online that already bump up the cost for me as a customer in comparison to buying on the high street. This is for the government to regulate not the consumer. However I'm a low earner so prices of anything going up is a problem for me!

I'd say no because it disproportionately impacts people with disabilities that have no choice but to shop at home. Yes it's a relatively small minority, but the cost of living with a disability is already far higher than that of others.

Rather than taxing people with no option, look at ways to attract people to the high street.

Hugely unfair on the elderly and disabled who struggle to get into the shops, and are already likely to be paying higher prices. I also think tone deaf right now when everyone has been told to shop online more and discouraged from going into shops.

I'd be keener on the big online giants like Amazon being properly pursued for all the tax they don't pay.

I've done most of my shopping online since well before any of this kicked off. Not sure I'm too keen to pay extra to save something I do not use.

No. I would be fine with the High Street disappearing.

Frankly is a silly time to post this as England is in lockdown, currently it’s either shop online or not at all! Tone deaf considering the demographics of this website

Also shopping online tends to be cheaper for the customer, do you really think poorer people should be penalised? As it’s essentially what will happen.

Also when looking at helping businesses, it needs to be targeted so the usual suspects do not take advantage. If the main beneficiaries are Mike Ashley and Philip Green (he'll be back up to his tricks soon enough), then it's helping the wrong people.

In the kindest way possible, we are in the digital age and have been for over a decade. You have had ample time to market yourself online. If you insist on being a dinosaur, the possible failure of your business is your own fault for not adapting to the changing market

@Tumbleweed101

Personally no, because there are delivery costs involved in buying online that already bump up the cost for me as a customer in comparison to buying on the high street. This is for the government to regulate not the consumer. However I'm a low earner so prices of anything going up is a problem for me!

I agree. I shop online and often pay delivery charges already. Given we are advised to shop online right now we shouldn't be penalised for doing this.

Would people be willing to pay a bit more online to save high street shopping from disappearing & have much of it converted into housing

Id rather independent shops got a discount

Ive been to many chain stores and because they don’t have my size or the right colour ive had to buy it online

Even before Covid, I did the vast, vast majority of my shopping online. I have a disability that makes going to shops very difficult. My local high street has been in decline for years anyway.

So I wouldn’t support an online tax. But I would support redeveloping the mostly abandoned shops into something less of an eyesore.

No I already pay more online than what it costs in the shops (which are closed) plus delivery costs why should I pay more? Its not my fault my town centre died I was perfectly happily shopping there

I’ve been forced to do much of my shopping online for years not by choice, but because retail stores won’t to cater to me.

I have allergies that mean I need special personal and home care products. Imagine not being able to go buy a tube of toothpaste anywhere in your city.
I’m plus size and for some reason shops think that means I don’t spend money on good clothing.
I have to wear special orthotic shoes and I prefer those to be cute, not just the one pair from medical supply.

No - because the big companies barged out the independent ones donkeys' ago. It would only go on the likes of Sainsbury's/Tesco/Currys/River Island/Starbucks/etc anyhow.

Before Covid I did "click and collect" as shops frequently didn't have the things I wanted in stock in store. I would then be able to buy extra bits.

Since Covid hit I've had to do more direct online deliveries. Frequently they are with smaller retailers found through platforms like eBay.

No sorry. I feel that physical shops just encourage me to buy stuff I don’t actually need. I would much rather the high street was a place to go for leisure, food and community activities rather than shops.

I’d pay more tax to see the high streets transformed to community hubs though.

No, a lot of local businesses are crap.

I would support more taxing the Internet retail businesses themselves. They make huge profits, pay little tax, including business rates, compared to other retail - they could pay loads more while still turning a huge profit m

They are not "bringing it". It's only a proposal. You wouldn't want to know what gets proposed by MPs sometimes....

And no. I shop physically if the shop provides good service and goods. Otherwise, I just get it online.

Harsh reality is that (outside of covid), if business can't compete, it's not viable.

I’ve done the vast majority of my shopping online for years. I would be seriously hacked off if I had to pay an extra tax so someone could play shop and not even try to diversify their business.
On the other hand I’m not keen on a totally cashless society either..

The world is changing, no point trying to stop it. I’ve done 99% of my shopping online for years. Retailers need to adapt, or offer something that can’t be replicated online. When my grandparents were young, most sellers came door to door, there was no ‘high street’ as such. I don’t quite get the intense emotions found in the loss of the high street myself.

A better solution would be to remove the barriers from high street shopping - i.e. high car parking charges/expensive and infrequent public transport.

There are advantages to high street shopping:

• properly seeing and feeling items before you buy them - e.g. being able to test if something is too heavy
• trying on clothes with no faff of returning them if they don't fit
• not having to be in for deliveries
• being able to get the item now - not next day
• social experience of shopping - combining with a meal/coffee etc - simply getting out of the house!

The problem is they are often outweighed by inconvenience - unless you can walk to your high street, parking can be a pain and expense (more expensive than postage) and public transport even more so.

Wouldn’t it just disproportionally impact those on low incomes? High street shopping would still cost the same, and the more affordable options would be taken away. At a time when so many people are facing financial hardship it seems a little tone deaf.

Online shopping is a also a lifeline for the elderly and disabled.

I also wonder how it would work really? Our high street has hardly any shops. No book shop, besides primark there’s no where to buy children’s clothes, there’s no where to buy electricals. Granted, over time in these stores may come back, but what about in the meantime? There’s no choice but shop online for some items.

No. I shop online to support small independent, frequently local, businesses whose only presence is often online. What would happen to all of them if their prices suddenly increased? Why do they matter less than the High St? Many of these businesses are run by women who need the flexibility of running their business online around other commitments. I enjoy supporting them.