THE small business sector has highlighted taxation, ongoing red tape and the increased cost of superannuation among the top issues for the sector leading up to the federal election.
SME Boardroom – a national independent social enterprise established to give SMEs a united voice and influence on government policy – independently surveyed 56 small businesses to gauge the key issues and grass-roots views of SME owners and the wider business community across Australia.
Small businesses said the top three issues for SMEs were tax (39.3 per cent), employment (23.1 per cent) and red tape (17.9 per cent).
Making tax laws simpler, working with state governments to reduce payroll tax, and managing the economy well to reduce the tax burden were highlighted as key issues for SMEs, as were removing unfair dismissal laws, having a simpler awards system and providing access to business finance through the banking system or through government loans.
The Liberal Party has the only policy directly affecting small businesses, which will swing votes, according to the survey.
The majority (61.2 per cent) of small businesses said that Liberals’ policy to reduce company tax from 30 per cent to 28.5 per cent would influence their vote while 51 per cent said Liberal’s policy to reduce the compliance burden on small business would influence their vote.
Thirty nine per cent of those surveyed said having a say in taxation by ensuring the Board of Taxation includes board members who have practical day to day experience in running a small business will influence their vote.
