eBay Main Street

eBay’s Asset Protection team is taking to the airwaves to warn consumers about scams made to look like legitimate eBay auto sales. Jack Christin, Associate General Counsel for eBay Inc., talks here to Florida’s Fox 4 Morning Blend TV show about protecting consumers against fraud and how to safely buy vehicles through the popular eBay Motors site. Read more.

According to Bartlett Cleland, policy counsel with the Institute for Policy Innovation, recently-proposed Internet sales tax laws are an attempt by Big Box stores and the U.S. Congress to create a retail monopoly. He warns that new tax burdens on America’s small businesses will take a predictable toll – “less hiring and less spending, all within an already disastrous economic context.” Read the entire Washington Examiner article here.

David London and Richard Nash of eBay Inc. Government Relations met with legislators this week at California\'s State Capitol in Sacramento to promote eBay-endorsed public policy.

Paul Jones, Head of Global Asset Protection for eBay Inc. talks about best practices in preventing organized retail crime and how companies like eBay are using technology to identify and bust crime rings. Read the entire interview from Retail Solutions Online.

Source: iStockAnalyst. “Today, there\'s such a thing as tax-free Internet shopping. But not for long, if U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, gets his way. Durbin is chief sponsor of legislation that would rewrite the ground rules for Internet and mail-order sales, eliminating the ability of Americans to shop online without paying state sales taxes…” Read the full article here.

The Utah Governor\'s Office of Economic Development (GOED) approved this week a $38M tax incentive for eBay Inc. to build a new, state-of-the-art facility in Draper. Utah Governor Gary Herbert joined eBay Government Relations staff and Steve Boehm, the company’s Senior Vice President for Global Services for the announcement. Congratulations to the State of Utah as well as our colleagues in eBay Tax, Legal and Real Estate departments. The new Draper, UT facility is expected to bring 2,200 jobs to the area over 20 years.

A PayPal delegation comprised of members of the company’s Government Relations, Legal, Emerging Markets and Information Security teams recently traveled to Moscow to lead a workshop on cyber security with staff of the Central Bank of Russia. PayPal leaders shared some of their experiences with data security and the company’s policies and best practices on cyber security. Read more.

Yesterday we saw further evidence of the mounting opposition to proposed expansion of Internet sales taxes. A group of tech industry associations from around the country sent a letter to Members of the U.S. House and Senate leadership expressing their opposition to recent Internet sales tax bills introduced by Senator Durbin (D-IL) and Congressman Conyers (D-MI). The letter clearly communicates the groups’ concerns with how this new sales tax regime would burden Internet-enabled businesses and impede the growth and development of interstate commerce. Click here to read the full letter or here to learn more about eBay’s position on the Internet sales tax issue.

A group of bright, local middle school students were hosted recently for a tour of eBay Inc. headquarters. The students are members of “Breakthrough Silicon Valley,” a rigorous six-year academic enrichment program designed to increase educational opportunities for high-potential but typically under-served middle and high school students. Their Career Explorations Day included a VIP tour, visit from CEO John Donahoe, and meetings with eBay’s PR, Mergers & Acquisitions, Legal, Asset Protection and Internal Communications teams. Breakthrough Silicon Valley is also a recent recipient of an eBay Foundation grant.

Kelly Cobb, Manager of Government Affairs for Americans for Tax Reform, recently wrote about the pitfalls of expanding taxes on the Internet. In the article, Cobb explains the constitutionality of tying tax obligations to actual physical presence and the importance of preserving the Quill Decision of 1992. Over the years, Americans for Tax Reform has consistently fought for lower taxes and an end to discriminatory taxes, like those proposed in the recently-introduced Internet sales tax bills. To learn more about Americans for Tax Reform and their efforts to keep the Internet free from additional tax burdens, please visit their website.