Australian Prime Minister the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP meets with eBay group, including eBay President & CEO Devin Wenig, eBay Vice President of Global Government Relations & Public Policy Tekedra Mawakana, and eBay Director of Government Relations for Australia, New Zealand, Japan & Southeast Asia Kristen Foster.

eBay’s President and CEO Devin Wenig recently met Australia’s Prime Minster the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP and his Cabinet Ministers in Canberra to discuss the government’s proposals to introduce a 10% domestic goods and services tax on all online imports into Australia and potentially force electronic distribution platforms to collect. eBay highlighted that the proposals are anti-trade, anti-small business, anti-consumer and warned that other jurisdictions could follow suit, harming the 28,000 Australian small businesses on eBay, in addition to foreign sellers into Australia, who will be hit with the tax.

eBay’s delegation also included eBay seller, Disrupt Sports, from the PM’s electorate. Disrupt Sports sells surfboards and skateboards globally (exports now account for over 30% of Disrupt’s sales, with consumer engagement across the globe including Mexico, Italy Portugal, Israel and New Zealand) and expressed concerns about the government’s proposals impacting on Australian small businesses exporting to the world.

Meetings were also held with the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon Bill Shorten MP and his Shadow Cabinet.

eBay lodged a formal submission to the Commonwealth Treasury on 2 December 2017, on the draft legislation, Applying GST to low value goods imported by consumers - Tax Laws Amendment (2017 Measures No. 1) Bill 2017.

eBay will continue to call on all sides of politics to review the unworkable proposals which would require significant amendments prior to any introduction into the Federal Parliament in 2017.