Economy
According to the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s most recent small business survey, investment in plants and equipment has dropped to its lowest level in five years. In addition, investment in buildings and structures is also on the slide.
Restaurant owners have been granted a small reprieve by the industrial umpire, after the Fair Work Commission agreed to slash the Sunday pay packets of some casual workers.
As the ink dries on the federal budget, a number of business groups believe the government didn’t go far enough in terms of encouraging business to hire new staff.
Small business has emerged as a relative winner from Joe Hockey’s tough first budget containing long-term structural reforms including painful savings in the areas health, welfare and education.
While the government is rightly attempting to put our fiscal position on a sustainable footing its sense of urgency seems to be at the expense of long-term, broader reform to the tax system.
New data showing a trend growth in new job ads, set at the end of 2013 has continued into 2014, and potentially reflects stability in the confidence of employers and job-seekers alike.
National Seniors chief executive Michael O’Neill is urging the government to introduce more incentives in tomorrow’s budget which would encourage employers to hire over 50s.
It’s been a super month for Government economic statements, in Australia with the long awaited “commission of audit’ report being released just ahead of the usual Federal Budget unveiling.
Tax specialists have acknowledged that reintroducing the indexation of fuel excise will hurt smaller business owners who will find it harder to pass on costs to consumers and compete with their larger competitors. The move, likely to be revealed in tomorrow’s budget, is thought to see the 38 cents a litre excise to be […]
Small and medium sized businesses do not want to see an increase in the goods and services tax in next week’s Federal Budget and many are pessimistic about whether the Abbott Government will deliver on its promises for the sector.
A new report has found that greater investment in innovation and digital technologies could increase Australia’s GDP by $37bn by 2024 and help grow the startup sector. The study by PricewaterhouseCoopers calls for a better balance between investment in physical and knowledge based industries. It warns that too great a reliance on traditional industries like […]
The search to employ high quality people is getting harder according to new research showing applicants are more likely to knock back job offers than in the past.
Business and industry leaders have warned against reducing the minimum wage to 44 per cent of average weekly earnings as recommended by the government’s commission of audit.
A new retail index tracking weekly sales will give business owners the ability to better measure their performance and adapt to changing market conditions.
The next six months are set to see an increase in revenue, as well as improved business conditions.
The majority of small business owners face a vicious “double whammy” revenue hit if Tony Abbott proceeds with a mooted debt levy on income tax to repair the budget.
The Australian economy is at an interesting period of transition.
Small business satisfaction towards the federal government has risen to its highest level in nearly five years according to a new survey, with one third of respondents expecting their revenue to increase in 2014. The survey of 1,032 SME’s commissioned by accounting software provider MYOB shows that in March, nearly one quarter or 24 per […]
The Tax Institute says a new inquiry into improving the tax system for small businesses must look at streamlining eligibility rules for key tax breaks like capital gains tax concessions.
Bitcoin is making news again. Angry investors in the virtual currency are joining a class action to recover nearly US$500 million “lost” when Mt. Gox, a Tokyo-based Bitcoin exchange, crashed at the end of February 2014.
