eBay UK Chief Urges Online VAT Reform That Targets Loopholes Without Hurting Small Businesses
The head of eBay in the United Kingdom has urged that planned reforms to online sales VAT should target sellers exploiting loopholes rather than add burdens for law-abiding small businesses, UK media reported on Oct. 19. Eve Williams, eBay's UK president, spoke as the Treasury consults on changes that could make online marketplaces collect VAT at the point of sale on imported goods, closing routes by which some overseas sellers under-declare values or split consignments to dodge tax — an arrangement British retailers have long complained gives them an unfair disadvantage. Williams said eBay supports a level playing field but cautioned against subjecting the tens of thousands of small UK businesses trading on platforms to cumbersome new filing demands, noting eBay has shared seller data with HM Revenue and Customs for years to aid enforcement. The Treasury has set no implementation timetable; final decisions are expected alongside the policy direction of the autumn Budget due on Oct. 28.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：伦敦一间购物中心内景（资料图）。Txllxt TxllxT 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，取自维基共享资源。Photo: Inside a London shopping centre (file photo). By Txllxt TxllxT, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
