EU and Germany impose new taxes and customs on low‑value parcels and business mail

The European Union will end the exemption that allowed packages valued under €150 to enter the bloc duty‑free. Starting now, a flat €3 charge per product category will be applied to cheap online orders from Asia, affecting an estimated 16 million parcels a day, most of them from China. The measure, which will remain in place until 1 July 2028, is intended to fund a future digital platform for customs processing and to replace the current de facto tax‑free regime.

In Germany, the federal Ministry of Economics proposes to remove the value‑added‑tax exemption that the Deutsche Post currently enjoys for handling business correspondence. If approved, the change could generate €115 million in additional revenue per year, while the postal operator claims the exemption is required by EU law and represents a benefit of up to €500 million annually. The proposal aims to create a level playing field with private competitors, but the Deutsche Post has voiced strong objections.