Austria’s parcel tax cuts deliveries by about 10%

Austria’s parcel tax has been followed by a roughly 10% drop in parcel volumes since it took effect on October 1, industry representatives told APA, ORF reports. Customers are combining orders more often, according to the Vienna Chamber of Commerce.

The Austrian Post expects the tax to dampen parcel volumes this year, but says the total number of parcels transported will still exceed last year’s figure. Amazon told APA that, during the first two weeks, customers in Austria more often combined several items in a single order.

Margarete Gumprecht, head of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce’s retail division, also said customers were bundling orders. She said people may think twice before ordering a single item when additional costs can reach 2.40 euros. But she questioned whether the tax would achieve one of its stated aims: curbing the flow of low-cost parcels from third countries.

About 150 million parcels were handled in Vienna in 2025, according to the transport division of the Vienna branch of the Austrian Economic Chamber. The figure was a record and about 2.7 times the 2014 total, the division said.

The Austrian Retail Association is seeking to overturn the tax through an online petition. Its spokesperson, Rainer Will, warned that the measure could lead to years of legal disputes, an EU infringement procedure similar to one involving Hungary, and political embarrassment.

Alexander Smuk, who chairs the Economic Chamber’s mail-order and online retail division, also urged the government to reconsider. He said the costs would have to be absorbed by businesses or passed on to customers, and cited significant concerns under European and Austrian constitutional law.