Forum

Anyone sign for Ebay's "Mainstreet Fairness Act"?
 

I received an e-mail from Ebay last week and just got around to reading it. Apparently, Congress wants to tax Internet Sales. I don't know if that applies only to the "Big Sales" or both, Big and Small sellers.

Anyway, they want me to sign their petition. Of course I'm not signing it :amen:, but was wondering it anyone else has signed or has intensions of signing it.

Or..just your thoughts on it? :violin:

waterproof =}

YUP, I signed it. What harm can it do?

With all the stealth accounts, we have a big voice!!

I think we have a patriotic duty to do so.

The politicians always see a revenue problem, that we are not taxed enough.

The REAL problem is that the government is too big, too bloated and the system is not working. Politicians need LESS money to spend, not MORE.

And local retailers can kiss my a**! OK, we DO have an advantage in that internet sales are not subject to sales tax. BUT, the local retailers have advantages they never consider. Here are just a few:

1) On the internet, price comparisons are a mouse-click away. Once a shopper is inside a physical store to buy an item, they are not likely to go to 4 other stores first to see who is cheapest.

2) Local retailers do not have to pay a 15% fee to their landlord every time they make a sale.

3) Local retailers do not have to give supplier information and allow the landlords to micro-manage their businesses.

4) Local retailers usually don't lose money to credit card fraud. The credit card companies take care of them. For online retailers, we have to eat the loss ANY TIME a transaction goes south, even if it was not our fault.

5) Local retailers don't have sales limits imposed on them by their landlords.

6) Local retailers pay a lot less to process credit cards than we do. And they get protection and better service.

7) Local retailers are much less likely to lose money due to buyer fraud. If the buyer does not return the merchandise, or tries to return a ⊗⊗⊗⊗, there is NO refund.

8) Buyers are much less likely to try to return an item locally, unless it is TRULY defective.

9) Local retailers are not forced to display every negative comment from a buyer in their stores, the way that we do.

10) Local retailers do not have to compete on price with sellers from China, India, Taiwan, Indonesia, etc.

Just as the way that people get their news has moved from buying physical newspapers to reading "all about it" online has changed, so is local retailing. Taxing internet retailers is not going to stop this.

Local retailers are not the first to hate the internet. Travel agents hated it. Newspapers hated it. The music industry REALLY hated it! Blockbuster hated it. The cable companies are GOING to hate it as they lose customers left and right.

And maybe the local retailers will get this passed. Certainly, they have a receptive and sympathetic friend in politicians looking to confiscate (err... I mean, tax...) even more of people's hard-earned money. And cable companies may be able to put up some roadblocks to slow down the progression from bundled (and bloated) subscription television to ala-carte internet offerings.

But they cannot stop it. Nobody can. Gas companies hated electric lights and put up a terriffic fight to try to stop it, but today we all have electricity.

good points jeff, stealth is just that. Knowledge is power. Spread your earnings around and you are less likely to have any one bank report smaller amounts. Ebay and amazon or paypal are not going the collect the 15% for the government. for decades corporations have found tax amnesty in offshore banking and field offices. it's nothing new. Just ask Google and Microsoft who have small offices with only a few people where ultimately all earnings in the billions are diverted because there is NO corporate earnings tax.. Think about it! The large corps do it, you can do! I would also say look into Swiss numbered accts. but you have to have a large deposit! There are plenty of ways companies legally divert profits.

where do i sign? i haven't got this email.. post some info please...

there is enough tax out there for more tax to come to the net!

I may have deleted the e-mail, but I'm sure that anyone with an Ebay account would have recieved one then or at least by now.?.?

Anyway, valid points given above, especially by jeffweico! I wanted to post the thread to see what everyone thought. I was expecting a huge "NO!" from everone to sign anything from Ebay, but to my suprise, my mind may change. Thanks for your opinions!

The thing is, this isn't about eBay. eBay is a STAKEHOLDER - and a major one to be sure - but EVERY internet retailer has an interest in seeing this new tax defeated. It does not matter where online your sales are made.

ridiculous not to sign it. We will all be ****ed if it passes. Trust me when the letter boys want to catch you, they'll catch you. IRS does not screw around.

My opinion...sign it...for the people that want to evade those taxes (illegal) or avoid them (legal) will find ways to do it HOWEVER THEY WANT...no harm, except unless it put some serious reigns on us as stealth users (you never know what the future holds)