Saturday, November 30, will mark the 4th annual Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday is a movement to support and celebrate small businesses and all they do for our communities. The celebration takes place on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, consistently the busiest shopping weekend of the year, and acts to balance the Black Friday campaigns by major retailers. The holiday was first conceived and promoted by American Express, spreading through social media and advertising across the country.
Small businesses create jobs, and revenue for communities, and this new holiday has brought them out of the tremendous shadow cast by billion dollar retail giants. Thousands of small businesses celebrated on Small Business Saturday use the Internet and platforms like eBay to grow, create jobs, and contribute to their local communities. Recently these businesses have come together to fight against the proposed Marketplace Fairness Act.
The Marketplace Fairness Act would create undue burdens and costs by requiring small businesses to collect and remit sales tax on all sales regardless of the location of their facilities. This creates complex issues for small businesses with few employees, and low margins. This bill would also allow businesses to be audited by states where they have no presence and no representation. By many accounts, the tremendous costs and burdens could force many small businesses to close their doors.
So, on Small Business Saturday, let’s not overlook the millions of Internet enabled small businesses that contribute to the American economy. From small rural communities to major cities, the Internet has helped small businesses create jobs and revenue for their communities.