Sales tax for UK online retailers not appropriate, says Ocado boss

The imposition by the British government of a sales tax for online retailers would not be appropriate, the boss of online supermarket Ocado said on Tuesday. "I don't think it's appropriate for anyone to put a sales tax on a retailer because they operate from a different type of premises or they're a more efficient operator," he said. Steiner said online growth was being driven by the consumer.

The imposition by the British government of a sales tax for online retailers would not be appropriate, the boss of online supermarket Ocado said on Tuesday. The government has said that as part of its review of business rates it is considering shifting the balance between online and physical shops by introducing an online sales tax. [nL8N2KE3BL}

"We already have sales tax in the UK, it's called VAT. It's applied equally to whoever sells the product based on the products," Ocado CEO Tim Steiner told reporters. "I don't think it's appropriate for anyone to put a sales tax on a retailer because they operate from a different type of premises or they're a more efficient operator," he said.

Steiner said online growth was being driven by the consumer. "It's what the consumer wants."

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