- Japan’s Finance Ministry is considering a consumption tax on low-cost imports priced at JPY10,000 or below
- Current exemptions apply to both taxes and tariffs for these goods
- The policy change targets goods from Chinese e-commerce platforms
- Aim is to promote fair competition between foreign and local businesses
- Timing of the revision may be included in the next tax reform package by 2026
- New obligations for overseas e-commerce operators are being considered
- Tariff exemptions for low-value items likely to remain to ease customs workload
- Other countries are also reevaluating de minimis policies
- Japan’s revision reflects a global trend to tighten tax loopholes in e-commerce
- Japan exempts items priced at JPY10,000 or less from tariffs and consumption tax
- In 2024, there were 169.66 million cases of such imports, worth JPY425.8 billion
- Chinese e-commerce sites like Temu and Shein are increasing sales using de minimis rules
- Temu was the most downloaded e-commerce app worldwide last year
Source: borneobulletin.com.bn
Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.
