Joshua Lindenstein, a reporter with the Boulder County Business Report, recently published an article covering the Marketplace Fairness Act. In the article, he quotes eBay sellers and small business owners, Brian Fricano and Nick Martin. Both expressed concerns with the complexity of the legislation. Their unique perspective highlights the consequences the bill would have on small Internet-enabled businesses across the country. 

While the current state of our economy has negatively impacted many of our American heroes, Internet commerce has created new opportunities for our Veterans. This burgeoning world of small web-enabled merchants is opening up new opportunities for Veterans returning home from war, and those retiring after years of service. If passed, the proposed Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) will implement an online sales tax system that will unnecessarily burden these small businesses.

While standing in line waiting to check out with a mobile device, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) saw first-hand how eBay technologies are revolutionizing the retail experience, both online and offline. But Rep. Waxman was not standing in line at his neighborhood grocery store or at a Capitol Hill coffee shop. He was participating in one of several checkout scenarios on display in the eBay Inc. Commerce Innovation Showcase at the company’s San Jose Headquarters.

NetChoice has published a Halloween edition of their 2013 Internet Advocates Watchlist of Ugly Laws (iAWFUL) list. The list features legislation that could be extremely harmful to Internet freedom and commerce. And a federal Internet Sales Tax is once again prominently featured.

eBay Inc.'s State Government Relations team hosted a visit last week by the California Capitol Black Staff Association (CCBSA). Based in the California State Capitol in Sacramento, CCBSA is a non-partisan professional development organization. In addition to professional development, CCBSA also focuses on community outreach, cultural awareness and after-hours social/networking events. This was their inaugural trip to Silicon Valley, and in addition to eBay's North San Jose Campus, they also visited Google and Facebook.