Ebay launches online business manifesto

Ebay's Backing Online Business outlines five focus areas

Ebay has published a manifesto designed to support online businesses and help them grow.

Backing Online Business comes as the UK's political parties launch their own technology manifestos in the run up to the general election.

Ebay said that the manifesto outlines five focus areas, and offers recommendations for policy makers to ensure that the UK's digital economy prospers.

The document proposes that European Union e-commerce laws remain a stable trading platform, and calls for a ministerial appointment with a remit to drive online business.

Consumer choice should be protected via a secure legal framework, and EU trade laws need consistency to make export easier for the UK's digital trades. Local post offices should be improved by giving access to online services for small companies and buyers.

Ebay said that the UK's digital infrastructure should be enhanced by making sure that superfast broadband is available to all UK businesses, and that telcos need to expand mobile broadband coverage.

Finally, the manifesto proposes that the government should reduce tax, and that banks should ease restrictions on lending.

The digital economy is a hot topic at the moment, and government estimates put its value at around £125bn a year.

Ebay has sent the manifesto to all prospective parliamentary candidates so that its proposals are politically neutral, allowing parliamentary winners to back the manifesto as a potential policy maker.

"The 2010 general election will play a crucial role in determining Britain's economic future. Whichever party voters elect, it is essential that the next government puts the policies in place to enable the economy to thrive," said Vanessa Canzini, European head of corporate communications at eBay.

"With the digital economy contributing some 10 per cent of Britain's GDP, according to government figures, it is vital that the next government backs online businesses and implements the policies needed for them to succeed.

"This manifesto is a further development of eBay's Online Business Index which, along with our campaign to protect consumer choice on the internet, ensures we are at the forefront of championing issues that matter to online businesses."