Without denying the existence of dodging on the part of the large platforms and the negative consequences for certain French companies, the executive is maintaining its strategy while a European tax will come into force in July.
Implemented a month ago but already criticized and circumvented, the tax intended to slow down the flow of small parcels will be maintained, says the French government which wants to push Asian e-commerce platforms to “change their model”. Faced with the figures that are dizzying – 5.8 billion small parcels delivered in Europe in 2025 – member states are seeking a response to stem the growing flow of these goods, 97% of which come from China.
France – like Italy initially – has chosen the fiscal tool, imposing since March 1 a tax of two euros on each category of articles in these small packages of less than 150 euros. But the large online sales platforms such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress that this tax was targeting quickly found a solution, by sending the small packages to hubs hosted by other European countries, then transporting them to France by road.
“In compliance with European Union law, once goods have been legally imported and released into free circulation, they can circulate within the European Union,” recalls Shein.
Temu and AliExpress did not react immediately. This completely legal subterfuge redirects flows towards the Benelux countries, to the detriment of French logistics companies (customs clearance, sorting and distribution of parcels), professionals criticize. Thus, Aéroports de Paris counts “around fifty weekly cargo flights (which) no longer land at Paris-Charles de Gaulle” since the introduction of this new tax.
This is confirmed by Liège airport, in Belgium, which indicates that it receives “a few more planes (since the introduction of the French tax), the same mechanism as when a similar tax was implemented in Italy at the beginning of the year”. Italy has since withdrawn its tax.
Soon a European tax
The Union of Transport and Logistics Companies of France has estimated the loss of jobs between 500 and 1,000 “by the summer” if this tax is not suspended, she declared. The professional organization also warns of the damage suffered by some French SMEs which exported their products to China via these cargo planes which are now abandoning the runways of the capital.
The government does not deny the existence of dodging on the part of the large platforms or its impact on French companies, but is pleased to have persuaded Europe to move faster.
“France’s proactive action probably played a major role in the EU’s choice to set up [ses propres] taxes from 2026 (…) and not in 2028, which was the initial plan”, effectively underlined the Director General of Customs Florian Colas before parliamentarians in March.
In fact, from July, the French tax of two euros will be combined with a European customs duty of 3 euros per type of item ordered, bringing the taxation of each category of item ordered to five euros in France. Then, a 100% European system similar to French taxation is planned for November 2026, harmonizing the rules for the entire single market.
To date, the state has not quantified how much the French tax brought in out of the 400 million euros planned for its introduction nor how much its circumvention cost businesses, but insists on the need to “detoxify” the French market of millions of small parcel. He is delighted if the introduction of this tax has enabled a “change in model” from Shein, Temu and others towards “an Amazonification” of the package – a reference to the American online sales juggernaut Amazon, permanently established in Europe with its 350 logistics sites and more than 230,000 employees.
The office of Commerce Minister Serge Papin projects that these non-European e-commerce players will now be forced to use warehouses in the EU for their orders rather than sending very small, scattered packages directly to consumers, a flow which will then be easier to control.
