The double tax

From 1 July, every small parcel under €150 imported from outside the EU will incur a €3 EU customs duty. In Italy, a parallel €2 national handling fee (first approved in the budget law, suspended, then postponed) also becomes effective the same day. Together, the combined levy of €5 per shipment replaces the previous duty-free status for low-value packages.

“The €2 handling fee will cause a collapse of at least 50 percent of freight traffic and cost the state €25 million.”

Industry pushback

Confetra, the transport and logistics confederation, wrote to Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti asking the government to cancel the national charge immediately. Confetra’s director general, Andrea Cappa, told ANSA that the fee hits small parcels hard and that making goods land in another EU country then travel by road to Italy has become a common workaround.

“We are not for blocking the country or dramatic protests, but we hope common sense prevails this time. At a minimum we call for postponing the tax until November, when the European handling fee begins.”

Confcommercio also supports the EU duty but warns the national surcharge could backfire and wants it shelved.

Revenue projections

The Italian fee is forecast to raise €122.5 million in 2026 and double that from 2027. If only the EU duty applied from July to November, the state would collect an estimated €153.1 million, according to Confetra simulations.

EU-wide picture

The EU justified its duty by citing risks from unchecked goods: health hazards and intellectual-property violations. In 2024, 4.6 billion small parcels entered the single market, 91 percent of them from China. The Italian measure originally targeted the fast-fashion boom, particularly shipments from Chinese platforms.