Minister pledges tax on online retail

Northern Powerhouse and high streets minister Jake Berry MP has pledged to extend the future Digital Services Tax to include a two per cent tax on online retail, according to Retail Week.

The tax would be used to level the playing field between bricks and mortar shops and online retailers, who often have the upper hand as they can avoid costly rent and business rates.

Berry commented: ‘The government have been clear that online taxation in retail needs to be done as part of an international agreement, but we have also been clear that, if we cannot get such an agreement, we will come forward with our own two per cent tax on online retail to ensure that we can continue, as we did in the last Budget, to give relief to those retailing on our high streets’.

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