eBay sent an email this week warning sellers about new legislation introduced in Congress called the Remote Transaction Parity Act. It said the internet sales tax legislation would be harmful, and noted there was no small-business exemption in the bill.
The following is the letter eBay sent to sellers:
Help Protect American Small Businesses and Consumers!
Dear (Name redacted),
With the help of Main Street Members like you, we have consistently advocated against Congress enacting harmful internet sales tax legislation. Unfortunately, there are efforts in Congress to try to jam harmful internet sales tax legislation into a large, must-pass spending bill. Under this proposal, items sold to buyers from small, out-of-state companies, artisans, and average consumers over the Internet will be taxed. Small businesses that use marketplaces will be harshly impacted as there is no small business exemption. Small businesses will be forced to meet costly and resource constraining out-of-state compliance and audit requirements.
This harmful tax legislation, known as the Remote Transaction Parity Act, is currently being advanced so action is needed right now. Click the button below to make your voice heard – participation takes less than 3 minutes of your time. With your help, we hope to send a strong message to Congress to REJECT this tax proposal.
Thank you for joining the effort!
Sincerely,
The eBay Government Relations Team
eBay also posted a message on its eBay Main Street site with a sample letter users could send to their members of Congress.
I have been paying internet sales tax here in Colorado for over a year now. What get me is why are countries excluded from this like China. They deal with ebay, and sell on the internet.
The language in the bill directly targets any business that “…utilizes an electronic marketplace for the purpose of making products or services available for sale to the public.”
That ain’t a coincidence – this is a bullet that’s been deliberately aimed right at us.