The electronics industry, together with eight other trade associations, calls on the government to abolish the electronics taxalso called the chemical tax. If the tax is abolished, it would mean cheaper products and that more products can reach the Swedish market, according to Elektronikbranschen CEO Pernilla Enebrink.
– There are products that today do not come out on the Swedish market because the tax is too large a proportion of the price, due to the fact that they are heavier, for example, like some record players, she says.
When the tax was introduced in 2017, the aim was to reduce the use of dangerous chemicals in electronic products. The electronics industry claims that the tax has led to electronics products becoming more expensive and weakens Swedish competition. At the same time, the organization says there is a decline in sales of electronics, with or without the tax, due to the recession and interest rates.
Furthermore, the electronics industry claims that consumers have started to turn to international e-commerce sites that neither pay the tax nor comply with the same environmental requirements. However, it is unclear how many consumers turned to such pages. If the tax is abolished, Pernilla Enebrink believes that competition can be strengthened.
– Competition in itself is not a problem. The state has introduced a tax which does not benefit the consumer, the companies or the environment, but which creates worse competitive advantages. It creates competitive advantages for those who do not follow the rules, she says.
The organization believes that the tax does not affect manufacturers because Sweden makes up 0.7 percent of the global electronics market. The solution, according to the Electronics Industry, is that the government should do more to introduce tougher environmental legislation at EU level.
Do you think the government should abolish the electronics tax?
Source: www.sweclockers.com
