Belgian retail federation Comeos, together with several members, is appealing to the Council of State against the new tax on self-checkout machines in Liège: “Retail is not a cash cow,” says CEO Pascal De Greef. “Self-checkout is not a job killer”In October, the city of Liège announced that it would levy a tax of €519 per device per year on self-checkout machines in order to protect jobs and support small retailers. This decision led to widespread outrage in the retail sector. That’s good for both customers and employees.”Broader trendWhat’s more, there are currently more than 24,000 job vacancies in the Belgian retail sector. The federation warns of a broader trend in which local authorities are increasingly introducing specific taxes that mainly affect the retail sector.