candoo 15/07/10 10:16 AM Report Abuse

The cost of obtaining and maintaining government compliance certification makes many small businesses unable to engage in supply to government projects, especially in a small scale capacity. This means that the only companies that benefit from local regional contracts are often larger ones that come from capital cities to take advantage of one-off projects.
This does nothing to support small businesses in the local economy of regional centres.
A minister dedicated to the needs of small business is a step in the right direction.

JPH 15/07/10 07:20 PM Report Abuse

If the Coalition is serious about supporting small business and ending small business discrimination it would start announcing its plans in regards to the unfair dismissal law exemption rate, which currently sits at the abysmal, ineffective rate of just 15 employees or less!

Obviously we cannot go back to the extreme unfair dismissal exemption rate under WorkChoices of 100 employees or less, however I think the Coalition needs to start talking specific numbers rather than in broad statements. I personally believe 25 employees or less is a great figure, much higher than the currently useless rate of anti small business Labor, which stands at 15 employees or less.

If the Coalition is serious about helping small business it will announce a figure similar to this one as soon as possible!

Allan R. James 22/07/10 09:00 AM Report Abuse

In the IT industry the process of engagement precludes small business. This is because national, state, and local governments seek total project solutions or whole of government solutions.

These contracts are won by multinational companies and the only avenue for Australian small business is through alliances with these companies. These multinationals then apply ruthless pressure on the supply price and have excessive payment terms typically 90+ days. They apply massive profit margins on these services and send these profits offshore.

Michael 27/07/10 03:24 AM Report Abuse

An excellent example of the government's gross discrimination against small businesses is the scheme by which it announced last year about giving a 50% tax deduction for businesses which bought new motor vehicles by 31/12/2009 because:-

(a) The so-called "50% deduction " turned out to be just "50% OF 30%", that is, people who purchased vehicles on the government's representation that they would get a 50% deduction, in fact were only entitled to a 15% DEDUCTION!!!!!

(b) On top of that,t he Australian Taxation Office is now imposing onerous FRINGE BENEFITS TAXES on these vehicles so that, far from getting a good tax deduction business owners who were induced to buy new cars (many of whom are struggling under the burden of the GLOBAL FINANCIAL MELTDOWN), now have to pay MUCH MORE TAX in addition to having to pay off their new vehicle.

So INSTEAD of getting a good tax deduction as they were promised when they made their purchases, these businesses have just been lumbered with an ADDITIONAL DEBT OWED TO THE GOVERNMENT.!!!!!!

It is just UNTHINKABLE to contemplate having another 3 years under a government which is capable of CONNING it's constituents in such blatant ways!!!!!!

Yuyutsu 28/07/10 07:43 PM Report Abuse

If you really want to help small business, there is one great good-deed you can do:

Do away with the BAS (Business-Activity-Statement).
Allow business-people and tiny companies to go back to the good-old provisional-tax.

Those messy quarterlys, a few cents here, a few cents there - it costs small-business 100 times more in feeding their accountants for doing their "compliance".

may puttock 02/08/10 02:59 PM Report Abuse

Dear Bruce,

You will be pleased to know that although Craig Emmerson is on Q & a TONIGHT,

he is no where to be seen on the ALP blog. I think he is perhaps the only MP without a thread!!

I guess they are saving him up for later in the campaign?

I know you for one will be interested in his appearance tonight on Q & A.

Monday 2 August 2010 at 9:35pm

Program's panellists

Craig Emerson - Minister for Small Business

Barnaby Joyce - National Party Senate Leader

Peter Dutton - Shadow Health Minister

Larissa Waters - the Greens lead Senate candidate for Queensland

Madonna King - journalist and commentator

9.35pm Monday.

Ashley Artis 04/08/10 11:45 AM Report Abuse

Mr Abbott
Mr Billson claims:
"An elected Abbott Coalition Government will ensure that the small business ‘engine room’ of the Australian economy gets a fair go".

May I suggest that you seriously consider lowering the dollar threshold (now $1000.00) to around $400.00 for offshore consumer purchases free of tax, gst and other charges. Raising the threshold to $1000.00 "opened the floodgates" for offshore consumer purchasing, so at least make them subject to paying fees, GST and associated import charges.
The current offshore consumer purchasing is devastating Australian small businesses. Having spoken to politicians for over three years on this subject, those senior politicians that have taken the time to engage do not understand the cost of importing and holding inventory commercially.

"Local politicians are not interested in even answering letters or emails"

Mervyn Jacobi 27/08/10 12:20 PM Report Abuse

I don't know why you are worried about helping small business, you been engaged in the system of destroying small business over the last 40 years and at least the last 20 years, you did that along with destroying the living conditions of the wage earners and pensioners with the federal - or should I say feral - low top tax. you and the labor party have both worked to destroy it, maybe you might work together to build it back up to be a great economy,. But I won't be holding my breath. Ibet you haven't got the guts or integrity to let this remain on view, Both parties are a bunch of thieving whimps, I see you are heading for another increase in salary, you wouldn't be underpaid with a reduction of 80%, You mob can't be trusted, you have no integrity and little intelligence - have you?

Mervyn Jacobi 14/10/10 09:04 AM Report Abuse

If you put the company top tax up to even 50% and have lower taxes for lower incomes, ie 30% at say $1,000000000 and say 15% or 20% on $500,000000, and appreciably less on lower, it would make life much easier on small business, they may well be able to survive, wouldn't that be good.

Simon 26/10/10 04:27 PM Report Abuse

Any help to grow my small business is appreciated. Including a little link... http://www.astrocommunications.com.au

Mervyn Jacobi 03/11/10 08:27 AM Report Abuse

I consider it laughable but despicable that Wayne Swan rages about the high salaries and other aspects of bank charges, and many other incidents relating to overcharging of goods and services, after all, over the last five years, he is the one who is responsible for this being able to happen, he and the party have determined the conditions which allow the high salaries and the high cost of goods and services, and when the Liberal party or any other party is in power, they are responsible. They cannot blame “Global” for every fault that the party comes up with, they have to be man enough – or women – and have the integrity and decency to accept their own blame, when it applies.

Mervyn Jacobi 18/11/10 12:06 PM Report Abuse

It's about time, that everybody realised that Harold Holt was right and the top tax of 66.6% was keeping obscene incomes and prices and costs of services down to an affordable level. Certainly he didn't get to the stage of realising that a higher level of no tax was also needed, but then, neither did any other member of any politicial party. The top tax today should be 66.6% on about $450.000, or $500,000 and there should be no tax up to about $30,000, this would bring our good economy back, and provide with a great life style for our workers and small business, even the pensioners, because the costs of everything would plummit. I wouldn't expect homes to get any dearer, but the prices would drop. Unfortunately we rely on the intelligence and integrity of those people who get into parliament, and I admit the prospects there are vertually hopeless.

Mervyn Jacobi 30/11/10 02:27 PM Report Abuse

When anyone goes to join a political party today, they have to sign a form “I promise to agree with the decisions of the majority”. No business of “I promise to obey the principles contained in the constitution of the party”, or any other demand to show that the applicants will have the required integrity, intelligence and allegiance to Australia, because all the decisions that have been made over the last 40 years, have been destructive to our economy, irrespective of whether the Labor Party or the Liberal Party is in power, and it is noticeable that almost all of the Prime Ministers and Treasurers have been Lawyers. It is unbelievable that any person with any intelligence can be so stupid and devoid of integrity as to drive our economy down to the depths that has happened so often over the last 40 years.

Mervyn Jacobi 02/12/10 09:04 AM Report Abuse

Our economy relies on a number of things,
(1) The control on the prevention of obscene salaries and other incomes which adversely affect the costs of goods and services. - The responsible of the Government and its treasurer.
(2) Imports and exports - we are exporting - and over exporting non value added, non renewable resources, and allowing our large companies to import manufactured goods that our own factories had been manufacturing (before they were destroyed by the big companies buying only imported cheap goods). The responsible of our elected government.
(3) The News media must be responsible in its reporting for our economies sake, They are just another big company more concerned with their own increasing wealth, They are a foreign company from the US, just here to gouge wealth out of our country like they do in their own country.
These problems have been carried on for at least forty years, and have involved too many governments consisting of mainly Liberal/National and Labor parties, and they have failed. We need more than just a change of government, we need a change in the requirements of persons allowed to nominate for the position to be in Government.

Mervyn Jacobi 29/01/11 11:29 AM Report Abuse

The only thing worse than people who sign "the pledge" to join a political party, is those of them who get into parliament, and haven't a clue of what to do when they get there, so rave on about anything they haven't a clue about and cause the country a helluva lot of trouble, recession, bad economy, destroying our nations industries and even accept any reason to send our young soldiers into a war to be killed. They are a wonderful mob, aren't they. They get thrown out of parliament Periodically, but always come back to do more harm, and get accepted again because the other group was no good either.

Mervyn Jacobi 20/02/11 11:25 AM Report Abuse

This would be the “Constitution” of my country's Party.

1. All people must be ensured of a decent mode of life with employment, housing, food and clothing.
2. A taxation system to restrict obscene incomes and to provide sufficient finance to cater for emergencies such as flood, fire and famine and other emergencies.
3. Assistance for restoring labour intensive but economically viable industries to keep our workers employed.
4. There must be care to ensure that the export of our non-renewable non-value-added resources do not endurably affect our own manufacturing industries and the employees of those industries.
5. To join this party, persons must sign that they will honour and obey this constitution, and the constitution of the commonwealth of Australia.

donna 08/03/11 02:11 PM Report Abuse

I just got my abn i havent quite started set backs have made me wait due to ill health. It seems i never got help b4 till i changed my votes from labour to liberal. I never got money owing to me b4 now i do How uncanny. A fresh new start i feel is what us ausies need. A change of votes can make that happen. Anyway im a professional Hypnotherapist very good at what i do. Take your pain or give your memory back to where you forgot your jewelry was. Give smoking up or take your fear. I just wanna say dr's are now recognising hypnosis as a great healing way without drugs wasting possibly large amounts of cash to drug asleep for op's. Dentists use 'H' so do usa feds. Why cant aust too?

Mervyn Jacobi 09/03/11 09:34 AM Report Abuse

Look at facts, both of our parties are promoting the export of our non renewable, non value added resources, mainly coal and iron ore. The reciprocal imports we receive – clothing, tools, trains, cars and trucks and many more, all goods we had been manufacturing previously, is obviously destroying the industries that our workers had been employed in. The latest range being imported, seems to be fruit and other foodstuffs, all, not really competing, but like the other goods, subsidised, or otherwise had the price decreased due to the low price of of the export price of our coal. In a report by Bloomberg, they say Pohang from Sth. Korea, paid an estimated $US308.70 / tonne for coal, while BHP Billiton, sold Premium coking coal (same type of coal), for $US98 /tonne. In the Commonwealth Hansard 1957 about October, the Minister for Mines claimed that coal (no particular grade) was worth 40 pounds ($80) per ton. This converts to $1024 /ton by 2008. When you have 60 ships waiting in Dalrymple bay to load coal and another 15 in Gladstone port as was published last year, there can be no doubt that the price or more probable, the royalty is too low, yet I believe that Anna Bligh was going to increase the royalty and the government threatened her that if she did, they would reduce the amount the Commonwealth would be giving the State as its share of the States portion of taxes etc. Get it into your head, our political parties are either brainless or corrupt, they do not look after Australian manufacturing industries or the people.

Mervyn Jacobi 13/04/11 09:31 AM Report Abuse

Bruce, Your party has been in power many times over the last forty years, If it wasn't important enough for your party then to ensure that small business survived and really did become a prosperous industry, why should these businesses believe that your party would do such a thing now. You have no pride and small businesses and our workers have poverty, John Howard saw to it that the number of unemployed was concealed by ensuring that as long as people were working at least regular one hour a week, they were listed as not unemployed. Such is the dishonesty of our members of political parties.

Mervyn Jacobi 11/06/11 09:23 AM Report Abuse

Like the Labor party, all talk and no intelligent action, only the destruction of our manufacturing industries and farming, and giving our valuable mining resources away to destroy our own industries.

Mervyn Jacobi 29/06/11 03:44 PM Report Abuse

We hear about wage earners being able to get permanent work for only two or three days a week, that averages of four families a week are unable to pay the mortgage on their home and lose it according to the recent remark of Channel 7. The rent on houses is higher than wage earners can afford, the governments insist on not applying a reasonable price or tax on the mining industries, and don’t or will not charge for those imports that are destroying our own manufacturing industries, They now want to tax us because their excessive coal extraction, export and burning is apparently causing undesirable global warming. Is this a government? Or just that the party (or two) have gone totally wrong. I certainly don’t want it, do you? Now the foreign companies are moving to have foodstuffs imported into the country by our big companies.

Mervyn Jacobi 30/06/11 09:03 AM Report Abuse

Our treacherous governments are allowing foreign companies to buy blocks of our land and Mining contracts so that they can take a very prominent place in the destruction of our economy. The further closing of more of our industries shows that these members of the political parties have as much allegiance to Australia as the Taliban. It is unfortunate that our forces are over in Afghanistan fighting George Bush’s enemy, rather than being back in Australia, fighting our own enemies. When our Government starts to work towards rebuilding the economy of Australia I will know we once again have true Australians in our Parliament, we don’t have any yet.

Mervyn Jacobi 06/07/11 09:45 AM Report Abuse

I may be wrong, but I have a horrible feeling that I am right. Our resources are not sold, they are traded, and what we get in response is tonnes and tonnes of clothing from China and tonnes of tools and associated hardware from China, Japan and other countries, including the Electric trains etc that Queensland and other States are receiving from the other Countries. The huge benefit our Country is showing is because the reciprocal imports that are subsidised by the low price placed on our resources makes our own products seem very expensive , and are not stocked by many retailers nor wholesalers.

Simon May 10/07/11 01:14 PM Report Abuse

Having been on the receiving end of slow payments I found the worst offenders to be government departments rather than political centres. It would be a large undertaking but should also improve the efficiency and defectiveness of the departments as they attain better control procedures. I see this as a win win situation.

Mervyn Jacobi 30/08/11 09:47 AM Report Abuse

I believe that any person or party starting a political party, would design a constitution that encompassed the ideals they were intending to achieve and would demand that to maintain their desired intent and principles, no person would be allowed to join that party without signing that they would honour that constitution. The existing parties do not have those properties or principles or ideals. I can only hope that the members of the Liberal party read the comments we have made, and take action in Parliament to make sure that they do not make the mistakes that we have found so abhorrent. Our economy needs a personal top tax between 65% and 70%, and zero tax on somewhere about $30,000 to stop the obscene incomes that have occurred, and relieve the pressures on our wage earners, and which will I presume, bring the tax take to that 30% of GDP that they are always trying for. The Company tax should in the region of 55% on 2 billion, and zero tax on $750,000 to ensure that we get some profit from our exports, and to put restriction on the ability of Woolworths and Coles from buying out or destroying the small Businesses, and let the small businesses prosper as they used to do. It would also be beneficial for the Queensland and WA Governments to put much higher royalties on the resources they are exporting, to stop them destroying our own industries.

Mervyn Jacobi 15/09/11 04:50 PM Report Abuse

Politicians have a problem with most of their decisions, and make it hard for the State government also, for instance Pohang from Sth. Korea, paid an estimated $US308.70 / tonne for coal, while BHP Billiton, sold Premium coking coal (same type of coal), for $US98 /tonne.
The Politicians and Journalists seem to have the same problem with conjoining their remarks with the history of events. For instance:-
Greece has a very poor economy at the moment. It has corporate tax of 22/25%, Personal tax 0-40% with 19% VAT.
USA is in financial trouble, Corporate tax of 15-35%, Personal tax 10-35%.
UK is not too bright, Corporate tax 30%, Personal tax 0-40%, VAT 17.5%
Australia workers suffering, Corporate tax 30%, Personal tax 17%-45% GST 10%.
When you consider that USA had a top personal tax of 94% in the 1950’s with a good economy and remained with a good economy until the personal tax was reduced. It is unbelievable that people with intelligence do not see the problem.
The UK had a top personal tax of 80% in 1946, with a penalty of 146% if the income was over 8,000 pounds.
Greece has been in serious financial trouble and has called on other countries for help, if a higher top tax was implemented, it would be able to finance its own way and give its own workers the benefit of a better employment and economy. The same can be said about every country in the world, and they cannot contend that it is not of the making of their own members of their parliament.
The motto that could be and should be seen from this is that as the top tax comes down, the uncontrolled incomes go up and so does the cost of goods and services, and the economy goes down.
It seems that the top personal tax should be 65-70% with zero tax on approximate $30,000, Corporate tax should be about 55-60% as in the 1960’s, and the GST should be wiped out to give an impetus to wage earners in our Country.
Mervyn Jacobi
13 Marlborough St.
Sherwood. 4075.

Mervyn Jacobi 29/10/11 04:15 PM Report Abuse

I have just been catching up with the edition of the Senior, I have been retired for about sixteen years, and I have been getting angrier and angrier with the Governments, particularly the Federal Government. In the 1950’s and ‘60’s, Harold Holt had worked out that a 66.6% tax was needed, but he didn’t have a computer, so just organised with what was the best he could think of. Over the last forty years, the Treasurers of both parties have consistently reduced the top tax. In doing so removed the anchor holding the otherwise uncontrolled CEO’s - and others, to a reasonable salary. Since the Treasurers have reduced the top tax, CEO’s and the others have increased their salaries way up beyond reason and increased the costs of goods and services. This has put an unacceptable load on most of our workers and with the CEO’s salaries and bonuses still increased, it is little wonder that many wage earners have had enough.
We are being duped. The average price of homes in Australia today is $435,000 (seven times the annual workers wage of $65,000) and yet in 1977 the average price was $31,000 (twice the average annual workers wage of $15,000). I’d say that someone there hates wage earners and loves millionaires, and it has to be the treasurers of the political parties, irrespective of the party.
Mervyn Jacobi
13 Marlborough St
Sherwood. 4075
0733793418

Peter62 22/11/11 04:25 AM Report Abuse

Small business also needs help to do business with the large multi-nationals. The amount of compliance that is required to deal with the lkikes of Chevron et al is too high for local small businesses to be able to deal with. This results in a lot of work going to big business, particularly multi-national service companies - particularly for contract labour hire. What can you do to help here? Another drag for both small and big business alike is payroll tax. I know its a state tax, but, when will we stop taxing employment?

Mervyn Jacobi 28/11/11 04:19 PM Report Abuse

The trouble is that no politician reads these remarks, probably because they just can't read at all, They just don't have the intelligence or the integrity and really have no interest in the economy of Australia at all. The only interest they get is when George Bush or someone like that comes over to allow his bum to be kissed and start a war and get us to send our own soldiers over to be killed.