eBay Main Street

In response to the introduction last week of H.R. 3179, which would impose new sales tax burdens on small Internet-enabled businesses, the National Taxpayers’ Union Executive Vice President Pete Sepp offered a few comments on the proposal. Read more.

StubHub, the world\'s largest ticket marketplace, is deepening its east coast presence with the expansion of its newly remodeled East Granby, CT office. Renovations to the facility will increase StubHub\'s footprint in the state and provide additional job opportunities in the area. The company, which recently hired 30 new full-time employees in East Granby, currently has 25+ openings in customer support, including Customer Support Supervisor roles. StubHub marked the expansion of the facility with a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony on October 19.

eBay Australia demonstrated its ongoing dedication to the National Broadband Network with its recent submission to the NBN\'s Joint Committee. The NBN is part of an Australian government initiative to provide all citizens with access to high-speed broadband. Through this endeavor, Australia aims to become a leader in global digital economy by 2020. Read the full letter written by Sassoon Grigorian, Head of eBay Government Relations for Australia and New Zealand.

eBay Inc. is speaking out against the recent introduction of the Marketplace Equity Act, the latest in a number of legislative attempts to impose new sales taxes on the Internet. eBay’s director of government relations Brian Bieron is raising his voice on behalf of small online retailers around the country. In an article posted yesterday in Politico, Bieron said, “both of the Internet sales tax bills introduced in this Congress fall far short of protecting small business retailers based on existing small business definitions as well as those in previously introduced Internet sales tax bills.” Visit the Politico website to read the entire article.

Tod Cohen, Vice President for Government Relations and Deputy General Counsel at eBay Inc., made the following statement upon the introduction of the ‘Marketplace Equity Act (MEA)’ by Congressman Steve Womack (R-AK) and Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA): “At a time when our economy faces continued challenges with economic growth and jobs, Congress should reject this proposal to expand Internet Sales Taxes because it will hurt entrepreneurial small business retailers and kill jobs. Better policy is proposed by Congressman Dan Lungren (R-CA), Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and 30 cosponsors that reject new Internet tax burdens on small businesses with their bipartisan resolution, H.Res. 95. Read more.

Ed Black, President and CEO of the Computer & Communications Industry Association has added his voice to those opposing Internet sales tax legislation that would hurt small businesses and e-commerce. In a Detroit Free Press op-ed piece, Black points out that recently proposed tax law is “unwise and untimely, given the nation’s current economic situation,” and he places the responsibility of improving tax codes and sales tax collection on Congress. Read all of Black’s article on the Detroit Free Press website.

eBay Inc. applauds the most recent cosponsor of H.Res. 95, supporting the "Preservation of Internet Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses." Congressman Bill Owens (NY-23) has joined the bipartisan effort to oppose new tax requirements on small e-tailers. eBay commends Owens’ leadership and dedication to protecting small online businesses in this economic environment. Read eBay Inc.’s position on the Internet sales tax issue here or read H.Res 95 in its entirety.

Dusty Brighton, Director of Government Relations for [eBay-owned] StubHub, was interviewed last week by the Jeff Katz Show-WXKS AM in Boston, MA. The conversation focused on Massachusetts House Bill 1893, legislation that would preserve the secondary tickets market by prohibiting the use of technology for the sole purpose of blocking the resale of a ticket (i.e. restricted paperless ticketing).

In a story published by the Washington Internet Daily, author Kamala Lan takes a look at both sides of the ongoing debate over the Internet sales tax issue. He notes that many of the issue’s strongest opponents believe that it’s unlikely the bills will pass in a weak economic environment where the bill would likely dissuade small business owners from conducting their business online. Other Internet sales tax opponents cited the lack of bipartisanship in the current Congress as a barrier to the bill’s passage. U.S. Congressman Dan Lungren is one of the champions for the small Internet-enabled businesses who would be hurt by new sales taxes. “We ought not to have a tax on the use of the Internet and we ought not to forget the plight of small businesses considering the economy and the state it’s in,” Lungren said.

While Google is receiving a great deal of publicity with its recently-launched Google Wallet, it’s not the only company planning to impact the world with its mobile payment technology. Earlier this month, PayPal also announced its plan for the mobile payment space at an event in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. In an interview published in the “All Things D” section of the Wall Street Journal, PayPal President Scott Thompson explains why he believes that his company, the current leader in online payments, will not only succeed in the hot-topic field of mobile payments, but will embrace the competition and “play better the more sophisticated the competitor is.” Take a look at the next big phenomenon in the mobile world by reading the entire interview at “All Things D.”