{"id":10391,"date":"2026-04-03T14:17:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T14:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wangzhuan-idea.icu\/?p=10391"},"modified":"2026-04-03T14:17:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T14:17:12","slug":"greens-join-amazon-tax-call-and-want-new-levy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wangzhuan-idea.icu\/?p=10391","title":{"rendered":"Greens join \u2018Amazon tax\u2019 call and want new levy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Amazon-parcels-Amazon-website.png\" alt=\"Amazon parcels - Amazon website\" class=\"wp-image-65616 lazyload\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5887526742961933;width:826px;height:auto\"\/><noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"734\" height=\"462\" src=\"https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Amazon-parcels-Amazon-website.png\" alt=\"Amazon parcels - Amazon website\" class=\"wp-image-65616 lazyload\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.5887526742961933;width:826px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Amazon-parcels-Amazon-website.png 734w, https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Amazon-parcels-Amazon-website-600x378.png 600w, https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Amazon-parcels-Amazon-website-300x189.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 734px) 100vw, 734px\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Scottish Greens have joined Labour in demanding an online retail tax<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The Scottish Greens have joined Labour in resurrecting calls for an \u201cAmazon Tax\u201d on online-based retailers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The Greens have also called for a new levy on supermarkets that would raise money for health purposes and stop retailers pocketing money raised through the minimum unit pricing policy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Both parties argue that a new online tax is needed to rebalance trade in favour of high streets which are being hit by huge rises in business rates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Scottish Labour\u00a0leader Anas Sarwar said it is \u201cnot fair\u201d for retail businesses to pay \u201c30% to 40%\u201d of their turnover on\u00a0business\u00a0rates, when online distribution centres pay only \u201c2% to 3%.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">He promised to \u201cmake sure more of the cost pressures are put on the online giants in the distribution centres\u201d and bring in \u201cmore reliefs for the individual businesses in town centres and high streets\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Labour would abolish business rates altogether and create a new system designed in partnership with business that resets the balance, said Mr Sarwar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cIt shifts the balance away from the pressure being on the high street shops, which is rigged in favour of the online giants, and instead makes sure more of the cost pressures are put on the online giants in the distribution centres, and therefore more reliefs for the individual businesses in town centres and high streets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The Greens also say a surcharge should be added to business rates on operations such as online company distribution centres, \u201coffsetting the economic damage caused by falling footfall\u201d in town and city centres.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay said: \u201cWhen huge global online retailers are making enormous profits, it is our high streets that are being hollowed-out, while local businesses are pushed to the brink.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThe Scottish Greens will build a tax system that is fair, progressive and fit for the future. To do that, we need to shift the burden off of working people and smaller businesses, and on to those causing the greatest economic harm.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cFor years, companies like Amazon have taken more and more from our economy and communities while giving far too little back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThey have been a root cause to the decline of our local high streets, piling pressure onto smaller retailers and sucking huge amounts of wealth out of Scotland\u2019s communities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThe Scottish Greens\u2019 Amazon tax is about rebalancing that by supporting our local businesses and town centres. These aren\u2019t just shops, they are community hubs and they make our neighbourhoods into thriving and better places to live.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Supermarket tax<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The Greens have also called for a levy on supermarkets that would raise money for health purposes and stop retailers pocketing money raised through the minimum unit pricing policy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Co-leader Ross Greer told <em>Daily Business<\/em>: \u201d We know supermarkets now make more money now from selling cheap alcohol as a result of minimum unit pricing. That\u2019s a good public health policy but it has actually increased supermarket profits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThe Greens would introduce a public health levy, a small surcharge on non-domestic rates for those supermarkets to collect that money back in. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ross-Greer.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-193606 lazyload\" style=\"width:837px;height:auto\"\/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"794\" height=\"518\" src=\"https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ross-Greer.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-193606 lazyload\" style=\"width:837px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ross-Greer.png 794w, https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ross-Greer-300x196.png 300w, https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ross-Greer-768x501.png 768w, https:\/\/dailybusinessgroup.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Ross-Greer-600x391.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 794px) 100vw, 794px\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Ross Greer: new levy (pic: DB Media Services)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cThe Fraser of Allander Institute has estimated that it would raise\u00a360m to \u00a380m and we could put that into our NHS to support the consequences of alcohol consumption.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: \u201cThis notion of a new surtax on grocery retailers is alarming. The cost of operating a retail business is ultimately borne by customers and thwacking stores with an arbitrary Scotland-only surtax would be an unwarranted tax grab.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cFood retailers are striving to keep prices down despite colossal increases in employers\u2019 national insurance contributions, a swathe of extra regulatory burdens, and increasing supply chain and commodity costs due to the situation in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cRecent government data shows Scottish retailers already pay considerably more in business rates than their English counterparts and a surtax would only exacerbate the problem.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\u201cPoliticians\u2019 focus ought to be on growing Scotland\u2019s economy and improving competitiveness, not shackling businesses with troubling new taxes which would have real world implications for retailers, customers, and stores.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- Simple Share Buttons Adder (8.5.3) simplesharebuttons.com -->           \t            <\/div>\n<p><script>\n!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\nn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\nif(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\nn.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\nt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\ns.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script',\n'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n fbq('init', '1192059580980274'); \nfbq('track', 'PageView');\n<\/script><br \/>source<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scottish Greens have joined Labour in demanding an online retail tax The Scottish Greens have joined Labour in resurrecting calls for an \u201cAmazon Tax\u201d on online-based retailers. The Greens have&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wangzhuan-idea.icu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wangzhuan-idea.icu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wangzhuan-idea.icu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wangzhuan-idea.icu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wangzhuan-idea.icu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wangzhuan-idea.icu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10391\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wangzhuan-idea.icu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wangzhuan-idea.icu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wangzhuan-idea.icu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wangzhuan-idea.icu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}