CAMPAIGNERS have welcomed a climb-down by European Union chiefs over online trading but say it is too little, too late.

Witney author Juliet Souch co-led a national pressure group fighting changes to Value Added Tax which came into force in 2015.

Last week, European Commission officials agreed to amend the law.

Traders with less than 10,000 euros’ [£8,400] worth of cross-border sales will be exempt and those with under 100,000 euros [£84,400] will face less red tape.

Mother-of-two Mrs Souch, who writes as Juliet E McKenna, said: “We are highly relieved.

“It’s rewarding to know our concerns have been listened to.”

But it may take years for the law to be amended and Mrs Souch warned time was running out for many micro-businesses.

She said: “What we need to know now is how quickly these changes can be enacted and what easement can be agreed in the meantime.

“Small traders have had two years of having to shutter their digital businesses, hand over their digital business to third parties with all the associated costs, or hamper sales by geo-blocking.”

The new rules, aimed at forcing internet giants such as Amazon to pay more tax, mean VAT is charged according to where the customer, rather than the supplier, is based.

Those selling digital downloadable items such as knitting or dressmaking patterns, music, films, games or ebooks abroad must register for VAT, no matter how tiny their turnover and show proof of where online customers are based.

With more than 70 different VAT rates across the EU, many quit trading, rather than risk breaking the law.

Mrs Souch began campaigning two years ago, after having to abandon plans to sell ebooks.

Wolvercote based creative writing tutor Megan Kerr, who suffers from chronic illness, was forced to stop selling writing aids as downloadable PDFs.

The changes come too late to help her.

She said: “They have already messed it up for me.

“You can’t take a sledge hammer to a bunch of tiny businesses then say two years later ‘OK, pop back up again’.”

Julia Bremble, who runs online haberdashery Sew Curvy lost thousands by stopping selling digital patterns online.

She said: “The new threshold of 10,000 euros is good news for kitchen-table crafters but if you are making a living, it is not enough.”

During their two-year campaign, Mrs Souch and fellow protestors won cross-party support from politicians including south east MEPs Catherine Bearder of the Lib Dems and Anneliese Dodds of Labour.

Ms Bearder told The Oxford Mail: “I worked with Juliet and others to bring this issue to the fore but this is very much their victory – it shows that when people speak, the EU listens."

Ms Dodds said: “While we should welcome the re-introduction of a threshold, it is frustrating it has taken two years for the Commission to act and it may be another two-to-five years before it is fully implemented.

“Businesses need immediate action to make sure they can continue to trade across the EU effectively, without accidentally becoming tax evaders.”