eBay has told its sellers they will not bear the brunt of the new digital services tax and the online marketplace will pay any additional tax.

eBay has written to 300,000 sellers on its UK platform to tell them the new tax, which amounts to 2% of all revenues made online from UK users on digital marketplaces, will not result in their businesses incurring additional costs.

This move puts additional pressure on Amazon, which has made the decision to pass the new levy on to small businesses selling on its platform.

eBay UK vice president Rob Hattrell said: “We are absolutely clear that our UK sellers should not face increased fees as a result of this tax. SMEs are facing real financial pressure as a result of the current crisis and they don’t need more costs right now – especially ones that weren’t intended for them.”

This is the latest in a series of measures eBay has launched since the pandemic began to support small and medium-sized businesses on its platform.

The online marketplace launched a 30-day payment holiday for existing sellers in March alongside waiving fees for new businesses joining the website for the first time.