ParcelHero criticises Government proposal to tax home deliveries

Home delivery company ParcelHero has criticised a Government committee’s recommendation to impose a ‘green tax’ on home deliveries.

The Government’s Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee report High Streets and Town Centres in 2030, proposes an online sales tax and ‘green taxes’ on deliveries and packaging.

It says the money raised from such a tax could then be spent on a future high street fund and a reduction in business rates.

However, Parcelhero’s new study reports that home deliveries generate less CO2 than a shopper making a dedicated car trip to purchase items.

David Jinks, head of consumer research at ParcelHero, said: “Our new study reveals the whole premise of the argument that home deliveries are bad for the environment, and should be hit by a so-called green tax, is highly debatable.

“In fact, there is strong evidence that, far from being less green, home deliveries are significantly more environmentally friendly than traditional visits to the High Street.

‘Our findings strongly disagree with the claim that a ‘green’ tax on deliveries is a fair way to subsidise a cut in rates.

“In fact, a number of major studies in recent years have found home deliveries create far less CO2 emissions and congestion than shoppers traveling to town centres by car.”

He added: “The definitive 2009 academic report Carbon Auditing the Last Mile concluded that successful first-time home deliveries of non-food products generate significantly less CO2 than a dedicated car shopping trip.

“Astonishingly, the research found that a customer shopping by car would have to buy 24 non-food items to reduce their equivalent emissions to those of a home delivery.”