On Sept. 18, 2012, Brian Bieron, Senior Director, U.S. Government Relations and Global Policy at eBay Inc., spoke to eBay Radio Show listeners about the Internet sales tax debate.  “It’s inconceivable that a small business could actually comply with all these laws on their own,” Bieron said, citing the fact that proposed federal legislation, if passed by Congress, could force online sellers to deal with ever-changing sales tax rates across 9,600 state and local jurisdictions based on where their buyers reside.  Such legislation would impose new, complicated and unfair burdens on small businesses that sell online. 

Small retailers’ operating costs are already higher than those for giant companies, including higher shipping and insurance expenses.  With such built-in advantages in economies of scale, big retailers that also sell online are already eroding small retailers’ online growth.  In other words, Bieron said, it is simply not good policy to load massive new tax burdens on small businesses and their consumers when America’s economy is still struggling and small online retailers already face many obstacles. 

Bieron also updated listeners on WE R HERE (Web Enabled Retailers Helping Expand Retail Employment), a coalition comprised of small business retailers around the country whose aim is to mobilize online retailers to work together to fend off against misguided and predatory laws and regulations that could kill jobs and undermine innovation.  

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