Why Roßmann is demanding a special tax for Amazon – and why this idea is risky “The latest radical proposal now comes from Raoul Roßmann, the managing director of the drugstore chain of the same name. Roßmann primarily wants to impose a special tax on the US retail giant Amazon to save German city centers from becoming deserted. Possible options could be a package tax or a higher value-added tax for companies with high online sales. For many years, Amazon has been attracting a lot of criticism due to questionable tax practices. At the same time, the US retail giant is the big winner of the Corona crisis and has taken even more market shares from the stationary retail trade, which is innocently trapped in the lockdown. As understandable as some people may find a special tax for online retailers against this background – punitive taxes on innovative business models will not protect people from the digital transformation, but will have the exact opposite effect: They will cost prosperity. And thus increase the risk of unemployment and deserted city centers.” – Martin Greive in “Roßmann’s idea limps – An Amazon tax does not change the structural change”, Handelsblatt, Tuesday, August 3, 2021, page 17, No. 147
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