Italian mini tax of two euros on extra-EU low-cost parcels (up to 150 euros in value) postponed until November 30. This is provided for in the draft decree law in the Council of Ministers on the abolition of the car tax, which establishes the postponement of the application of the Italian levy from October 1 to December 1. A bridge postponement pending what the EU will soon “set” after the EU Council at the beginning of the month gave its approval for the introduction of a shipping tax on low-value imports arriving from countries outside the community perimeter. A move that serves to close the loop after the EU duty of three euros has already come into effect since July 1.
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The wait for the EU shipping tax
With the postponement of the tax, Italy aims to align itself to be ready at the starting blocks with community partners for the debut of the handling fee. However, the further two-month delay has a cost of 40.8 million. So far, it has only been necessary to cover the deferral from July to September inclusive for a total amount of 61.25 million euros, for the two-euro mini tax discounted in the 2026 Budget Law forecasts which introduced it with the hypothesis of application only from July. Now an equal amount will be needed to reach the end of the year. Although it should not be forgotten that the full application from 2027 was expected to bring about 245 million euros per year.
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The threshold amount
Much will depend on where the Commission and the EU Parliament set the threshold for the shipping tax, which must become operational by November 1. At the moment, according to some hypotheses circulated in Italy, the level could be between two and four euros. However, the initial trends with the application of the duty have already led to a decrease in imports of low-value parcels from non-EU states. Considering that the handling fee would be added to the duty, it could result in a monstrous levy, also because the duty is calculated for each individual item in the shipment, based on tariff classification and not quantity. And it could have the effect of further discouraging imports of mini parcels from non-EU countries. After all, the underlying logic was precisely to target a flow of imports via e-commerce that has increased exponentially in recent years, reaching almost 5.9 billion items in 2025.
The penalty system
Also for this reason, the EU Council in the reform of the customs framework approved at the beginning of the month aimed to specify that e-commerce platforms from third countries shipping to the EU will be considered importers of goods and consequently responsible for carrying out all customs formalities and paying duties. Precisely to strengthen the concept and ensure compliance with EU customs rules and payment of duties, a mechanism with pecuniary sanctions of up to 6% of the annual value of goods imported by the company in the previous year will be implemented.
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