I got this message from eBay and kind of confused what this is talking about.
Protect your business--get involved in eBay's Citizen Action Network
2009 is shaping up to be a historic year in Washington, DC and state capitals around America. We face the most challenging economy in decades, a new President, and strong majorities in Congress looking to take bold action. Some of the biggest companies in America are lobbying Congress to make their interests known. And make no mistake, not all of their interests are aligned with those of Internet entrepreneurs like you.
Here are three issues you need to be aware of:
Remote sales taxes
Today, eBay sellers are required to collect sales taxes only in states where they're located, not all of the states (and thousands of local jurisdictions) where their customers live. A number of states and big retailers are pushing to impose remote sales taxes on small Internet sellers. Big retailers know increased sales tax burdens will hurt their smaller competitors.
"Stolen Goods" legislation
Representatives of some of the nation's largest retailers recently claimed that many eBay sellers are listing stolen goods, a baseless charge that hurts every honest seller. Big retailers are pushing legislation to prohibit some eBay categories and require sellers to post their personal information and show receipts for the purchase of merchandise sold online.
Price fixing
A 2007 Supreme Court decision reversed the federal law that made price fixing an illegal anti-trust violation. Overturning this nearly 100-year-old precedent has empowered manufacturers and their large retail distributors to aggressively enforce minimum prices on the Internet, which hurts eBay sellers and the Internet as a whole.
All of these threats and more face small entrepreneurial retailers using the Internet to compete and survive in this economic climate. The eBay Government Relations team is working to protect eBay sellers from harmful legislation in both Congress and state capitals. But we need your help--and your voice--to make a major impact.
If you haven't joined Main Street yet, please join 250,000 other eBay users in protecting e-commerce. Together, we can make a big difference.
Sincerely,
Tod Cohen
Vice President, Government Relations
P.S. Main Street is free to join. Members receive approximately 4-6 emails per year. We'll only ask you to contact your elected officials on crucial issues. And, of course, you can opt out at any time.
