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Spanish Minister proposes tax on trying out clothes in stores

The minister’s proposal has been met with criticism.

Spanish Minister proposes tax on trying out clothes in stores

According to a report published on Joy Online, , Castilla y León’s economy and treasury minister, María del Pilar del Olmo, made her controversial idea known at a recent Retail Industry Conference, after reportedly discussing it with the province’s tourism, trade and industry minister.

She argued that nowadays too many shoppers tend to first visit brick-and-mortar boutiques just to try on clothes, and, having figured out which items and sizes fit them best, leave empty-handed only to buy the same clothes online, at lower prices. The regional minister proposed a fee for trying out clothes in order to discourage this ‘unethical practice’.

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According to Ms. del Olmo, this is less of an issue for big brands that only sell their clothes in their own stores and on their websites, with prices varying little, if at all, between the two, but it is crippling boutiques that carry various brands, which visitors can find on popular online stores like ASOS or El Corte Inglés after trying them on.

The minister’s proposal has been met with criticism. Many are saying that the price difference on clothing items in physical store compared to online ones is irrelevant, making it unnecessary for shoppers to leave whatever clothes they like in the dressing room only to order them online and wait at least one day for them to arrive. Others claim that boutiques often sell limited-edition items which are very hard to find, elsewhere, even online.

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