Online retail tax now being bandied around O.o Bloody clueless...
- Thread starter djkav
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It'll be a tax on consumers who buy things online as well as the online businesses. When you consider how efficient online retail is, I can't see how it won't hurt the economy.
I think it would be a very bad idea, tho in the long run it may or may not be something that should be considered but in the short term with the current economic climate it would potentially be disastrous - a lot of the current financial momentum is from companies that have embraced going digital both smaller entrepreneurs and big retailers and while some traditional companies are dying a large number of them are more due to failed business models or as much due to that as they are due to failing to keep up with the digital age. Stiffle that and those companies will see a big dip in trade with a massive knock on effect and even more people out of work without producing an equal counterbalance in propping up more traditional trade.
Caporegime
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Tax the people who found a way to lower overheads, increase profit margin, yet still offer the customer a best price. Mail order services is nothing new, the internet just made it easier that's all.
If a brick and mortar store wants to win then they need to offer something online can't do. Personal customer service, provide GOOD knowledgable advice. None of this pushy sales technique with incorrect advice just to close the deal. That just make the customer hate the store later on.
If a brick and mortar store wants to win then they need to offer something online can't do. Personal customer service, provide GOOD knowledgable advice. None of this pushy sales technique with incorrect advice just to close the deal. That just make the customer hate the store later on.
Soldato
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Do we not already pay VAT when ordering goods on-line?
Caporegime
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You pay VAT when ordering goods anywhere, period.
They represent 80% of the UK's retail turnover and have a fairly large influence in the Government. I wouldn't call it a non-story in all honesty.
The BRC would love to screw over amazon. Why is that surprising and secondly a story?
John Lewis mostly already do this. People go in, get that advice, then buy the product online elsewhere. So not only is the bricks and mortar store undercut, it's providing free advice for internet shops. Any other good theories? This one only works for customers who care more about loyalty than price. Which is very few of them.
Digital rev?
An arbitrary tax on on-line stores seems to be somewhat technically regressive & against the whole idea of progress.
I agree with ensuring that a fair amount of corporation tax is paid, but it's not just on-line stores which are playing at that game (Topshop for one).
From the sounds of it, it would be another regressive tax (which would hit the poorest the hardest) while solving nothing, even if the price was identical when comparing Amazon to PC World - most will still take Amazon for the convenience.
I agree with ensuring that a fair amount of corporation tax is paid, but it's not just on-line stores which are playing at that game (Topshop for one).
From the sounds of it, it would be another regressive tax (which would hit the poorest the hardest) while solving nothing, even if the price was identical when comparing Amazon to PC World - most will still take Amazon for the convenience.
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John Lewis price match so those that buy online after are a little silly...
So what about the bricks and mortar stores that also sell online - i.e. almost all of the big ones. Will we end up in the situation where it costs more to buy from their website than it does to go into one of their shops?