eBay Main Street

A PayPal delegation comprised of members of the company’s Government Relations, Legal, Emerging Markets and Information Security teams recently traveled to Moscow to lead a workshop on cyber security with staff of the Central Bank of Russia. PayPal leaders shared some of their experiences with data security and the company’s policies and best practices on cyber security. Read more.

Yesterday we saw further evidence of the mounting opposition to proposed expansion of Internet sales taxes. A group of tech industry associations from around the country sent a letter to Members of the U.S. House and Senate leadership expressing their opposition to recent Internet sales tax bills introduced by Senator Durbin (D-IL) and Congressman Conyers (D-MI). The letter clearly communicates the groups’ concerns with how this new sales tax regime would burden Internet-enabled businesses and impede the growth and development of interstate commerce. Click here to read the full letter or here to learn more about eBay’s position on the Internet sales tax issue.

A group of bright, local middle school students were hosted recently for a tour of eBay Inc. headquarters. The students are members of “Breakthrough Silicon Valley,” a rigorous six-year academic enrichment program designed to increase educational opportunities for high-potential but typically under-served middle and high school students. Their Career Explorations Day included a VIP tour, visit from CEO John Donahoe, and meetings with eBay’s PR, Mergers & Acquisitions, Legal, Asset Protection and Internal Communications teams. Breakthrough Silicon Valley is also a recent recipient of an eBay Foundation grant.

Kelly Cobb, Manager of Government Affairs for Americans for Tax Reform, recently wrote about the pitfalls of expanding taxes on the Internet. In the article, Cobb explains the constitutionality of tying tax obligations to actual physical presence and the importance of preserving the Quill Decision of 1992. Over the years, Americans for Tax Reform has consistently fought for lower taxes and an end to discriminatory taxes, like those proposed in the recently-introduced Internet sales tax bills. To learn more about Americans for Tax Reform and their efforts to keep the Internet free from additional tax burdens, please visit their website.

"eBay listens to us and proactively addresses sellers’ needs. Through its summits and meetings, eBay is facilitating greater interaction between sellers, giving us a chance to voice our opinions and share ideas. This type of dialog is good for business as we continue to grow." Read more.

The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), an international nonprofit dedicated to advancing the interests of the technology industry, expressed its concern with the Internet sales tax bills introduced in Congress in a recent blog post. CCIA strongly believes in the promotion of ecommerce and has repeatedly voiced its opposition to proposals to expand sales taxes on the Internet. Click here to read the full blog post and learn more about CCIA’s efforts on Internet sales taxes.

The Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) released the following statement in response to legislation that would impose new taxes and regulatory burdens on small online businesses: “Proposals in both the US Senate by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and in the House by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) to force businesses, and particularly small businesses, to collect Internet sales taxes for government and bear the liability for it are at best misguided and could wreak further havoc on an already devastated economy.” Read more.

The following statement was released by NetCoalition in response to Senator Durbin’s and Congressman Conyers’s legislative proposals to authorize new taxes on e-commerce: “As we collectively work our way back to economic prosperity, we respectfully disagree with the recommendations of Senator Durbin (D-IL) and Representative Conyers (D-MI) to impose new taxes on the Internet at this critical time.” Read more.

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA), an association of companies and nonprofits with interests in multichannel direct marketing, released the following statement in response to legislation that would create barriers to interstate commerce on the Internet: “These bills, in the best of economic times, are bad policy, as they interfere with the free-flow of commerce among the states, a principal upon which the United States was founded. In these difficult economic circumstances, placing new, unfunded mandates on out-of-state companies to comply with complex and changing tax structures in many states around the country will hamper e-commerce a fast growing segment in our economy.” Read more.

Last week, the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) President and CEO Julie Coons, made the following statement in response to Senator Durbin’s and Congressman Conyers’ legislation to impose Internet sales taxes: “New and misguided remote tax schemes will represent a dramatic blow to electronic retailers struggling to survive in these harsh economic times. New regulatory burdens and draconian cost increases would significantly damage both the marketplace and the consumers who rely on it.” Read more.