Last week, eBay seller and government relations ambassador Holly Richardson of Aeromarine Products hosted Congressman Scott Peters (D-CA-52) for a facility tour and policy roundtable discussion. SBAN member Gunay Gulec of Boost Projects attended the meeting as well.

During the roundtable, Holly and Gunay explained to Rep. Peters the negative impact current Internet sales tax proposals would have on their businesses and other small e-entrepreneurs nationwide. Both Holly and Gunay rely largely on customers located out of the state to grow their business and they worry about the complexity of managing upwards of 9,600 taxing jurisdictions.We hope that hearing firsthand about the challenges Internet-enabled small retailers face helps Rep. Peters and other Members of Congress work towards a more suitable internet sales tax solution. The group also discussed the status of the TPP trade agreement. Like many eBay sellers, Gunay and Holly both sell internationally and would benefit from decreased barriers to help increase their cross-border trade.

We’d like to thank Holly for hosting the roundtable and both Holly and Gunay for being great advocates for all eBay sellers. A special thanks to Congressman Peters and his staff for taking the time to hear from our sellers on these important issues.