The Productivity Commission released its report into the Economic Structure and Performance of the Australian Retail Industry.The Commission reported on: current structure, performance and efficiency of the retail sector; drivers of structural change in the retail industry; broader issues contributing to the increase in online purchasing by Australian consumers; sustainability and appropriateness of current indirect tax arrangements and the extent to which technology could reduce the administrative costs of tax collection; and other regulatory or policy issues which impact on the structural change in the sector.

The report made several key recommendations and extensively referred to both eBay and PayPal submissions

Commenting on the report, eBay Vice President Deborah Sharkey said: “eBay was pleased to provide submissions to the Productivity Commission and participate in the hearings on behalf of the millions of Australians who buy and sell products on eBay, including the thousands of Australians who depend on eBay for their income and livelihood.

“The Government has conveyed a clear message for Australian retailers: embrace online and mobile to remain competitive and relevant to the modern consumer.

“There should not be a battle between traditional and online retail – both are very relevant for Australian consumers. However,commerce is at an inflection point with ten million Australians now shopping online. Retailers need to be where consumers are in order to remain competitive, and they can do this by adapting a multichannel sales strategy.

“eBay will continue to partner with retailers to embrace online as a key part of their multichannel strategies and build for future growth,” she said.