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Comment by emptysongglass | Hacker News Reader

And note that basically no other developed country had this carve-out except the US. People are foaming at the mouths about this issue, but no one pointed a finger at the EU or anywhere else.

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I’m not sure I follow. The UK and other European countries have equivalents, although the term “de minimis” isn’t used. The UK has a £135 limit, Germany iirc had €150. This is the limit for duty exemptions, VAT still applies.

You are correct that technically this is true. The EU has proposed to eliminate the threshold [1] but in practice EU consumers have not seen the benefit of the de minimis practiced by the US: try and import goods below the threshold from outside the EU and you will be hit by a variety of fees [2], making it uneconomical for a consumer to buy anything from outside.

[1] https://copenhageneconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/S...

[2] https://www.postnord.dk/siteassets/pdf/forretningsbetingelse...

"You are correct that technically this is true" is an odd way to admit your statement was completely false.

But it's not. I do not enjoy the benefits of a de minimis as a resident of Denmark. Every policy set in place is to discourage my enjoyment of a de jure de minimis.

If you import goods into this country at below the threshold, you are very likely to pay more than the original price of the good itself. That's the truth. There is de minimis in name only.

>try and import goods below the threshold from outside the EU and you will be hit by a variety of fees [2], making it uneconomical for a consumer to buy anything from outside.

This is completely false. I buy tons of cheap things from outside of EU, including China, and they're insanely cheap (often for the price of quality of course). Maybe it's a Denmark problem?

What country are you in?

EU does not demand foreign company collect their own internal taxes and send them over.

There is a reason shipping stopped.

Look at my other comment. Most countries in the EU levy their own import fees that essentially make any de minimis in practice null.

US consumers have long enjoyed the privilege of actual de minimis, that is straight to their door, no fuss, no additional fees goods below the threshold.

> EU does not demand foreign company collect their own internal taxes and send them over.

Let me introduce you to VAT.

They dont demand it. Its a possibility that the company can do to make shipping easier for the customer.

If they dont, the package will be inspected in the destination country and taxed there. Making the shipment take longer and more expensive for the customer, as shipment companies levy additional fees.

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