The three top issues for SMBs this Federal Election are tax, employment and red tap, new research has found.
The SME Issues for the Federal Election 2010 survey, released by Australian SMB membership organisation SME Boardroom, found that 39.3 percent of small businesses are concerned with tax, including the need to simplify the system and for tax cuts, 23.1 percent are concerned with employment, in particular the application of unfair dismissal laws, and that 17.9 percent are concerned with red tape and the need to reduce paper work.
The ‘unfairness’ of unfair dismissal laws for employers is a pressing issue for small businesses this Election, according to an anonymous quote recorded in the survey.
“It is hard for SMES to take action against a poor performing employee. One bad employee affects the whole company and can cripple it. Bad employees exist, just as bad employers do. The difference is employees have the right to terminate their agreement with employers, but not vice versa.”
The survey also covered small business views on the “Real Action to Support Small Business” policy released by the Liberal Party on 28 July 2010.
The majority, 61.2 percent, of small businesses said that the Liberal Party’s policy to reduce company tax from 30 percent to 28.5 percent would influence their vote. A further 51 percent also said that the Liberal Party’s policy to reduce the compliance burden on small business would also influence their vote.
Only 6.1 percent of small businesses said that none of the Liberal Party’s Policies would influence their vote.
