WEB NEWS - French Senate approves "anti-Amazon" bill
- 11 years ago
In this edition : the French senate approves the so called « anti-Amazon » bill; Americans conducting scientific experiments during the cold wave; and a double-leg amputee from Brazil wowing the skateboarding world.
FRENCH SENATE APPROVES "ANTI-AMAZON" BILL
On Wednesday, the French Senate unanimously approved a bill aimed at protecting book sellers in France from online competition. The bill, which will now go back to the National Assembly for a second reading before being formally adopted, will restrict online vendors from offering free delivery to customers on top of a maximum 5 percent discount on books.
It has been dubbed the "anti-Amazon" bill because it is mainly targeting the American online shopping giant which has been accused by French publishers of what they call “dumping”, dispatching books free of charge without a minimum purchase amount.
And although some consumers have criticized the law as it will mean they’ll be paying more for books they order online, it has been extremely well received and highly anticipated among traditional book sellers. Small businesses that have been trying to respond to the competition served up by Amazon by offering online consumers an alternative. Lalibrairie.com for example has some 1,000 stores pooling their stock.
And the delivery charge isn’t the only controversial issue. Amazon has also been accused of tax evasion as it registers profit in Luxembourg. So the group doesn’t pay taxes in France or in the UK where NGO “Ethical Consumer” is campaigning for an Amazon boycott, denouncing the company’s tax arrangements.
WEB USERS CONDUCT SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS DURING COLD WAVE
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FRENCH SENATE APPROVES "ANTI-AMAZON" BILL
On Wednesday, the French Senate unanimously approved a bill aimed at protecting book sellers in France from online competition. The bill, which will now go back to the National Assembly for a second reading before being formally adopted, will restrict online vendors from offering free delivery to customers on top of a maximum 5 percent discount on books.
It has been dubbed the "anti-Amazon" bill because it is mainly targeting the American online shopping giant which has been accused by French publishers of what they call “dumping”, dispatching books free of charge without a minimum purchase amount.
And although some consumers have criticized the law as it will mean they’ll be paying more for books they order online, it has been extremely well received and highly anticipated among traditional book sellers. Small businesses that have been trying to respond to the competition served up by Amazon by offering online consumers an alternative. Lalibrairie.com for example has some 1,000 stores pooling their stock.
And the delivery charge isn’t the only controversial issue. Amazon has also been accused of tax evasion as it registers profit in Luxembourg. So the group doesn’t pay taxes in France or in the UK where NGO “Ethical Consumer” is campaigning for an Amazon boycott, denouncing the company’s tax arrangements.
WEB USERS CONDUCT SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS DURING COLD WAVE
Despite t... Go on reading on our web site.
Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en