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If you are the proprietor of a small business, please send us your thoughts on how we can support small businesses through our

SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY
 
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 Family  CarERS  SURVEY

 

 

 
            

Small business MANIFESTO 

There are 1.1 million small businesses in Australia employing 3.3 million people. These businesses are critically important to the health of our economy and the well-being of local communities. 

However, small businesses are trapped in an economic and political no-man’s land, caught between the anti-competitive culture of big business and the anti-enterprise culture of trade unions. Being diverse and fragmented, small firms lack a strong, unified voice. Politically, they lack the direct sponsorship of the two major parties whose prior allegiance is to big business and trade unions respectively.

Socially, small businesses are vitally important to local communities. Their social contribution has long been ignored by social policy makers.

The Centre for Civil Society has developed this draft Small Business Manifesto as a call to action and a campaign tool for the small business sector in the lead up to this year's federal election. 

The draft will be discussed at a Small Business Forum on 28 March in Melbourne.


DRAFT SMALL BUSINESS MANIFESTO

This Small Business Manifesto is a call to action and a campaign tool for the small business sector.  

1.   

Remove all federal and state restrictions on the right of small businesses to collectively negotiate with suppliers, acquirers and franchisors.

2.

Increase the land tax threshold to $1,000,000.

3.

Strengthen the Trade Practices Act to require a forced divestiture of assets in any firm controlling more than 50% of market share in any domestic market.

4.

Exempt family members working in family businesses from employment laws, and remove the requirement for police checks on young family members.

5.

Restrict licensing fees for all business activities to cost-recovery rates so as to prevent licensing fees from being used as revenue-raising instruments for governments.

6.

Strengthen the Trade Practices Act provisions dealing with anti-competitive behaviour, predatory pricing, price fixing and collusive behaviour.

7.

Consolidate all employment on-costs for businesses employing less than 20 people into an (optional) single monthly payment made to one entity – a Small Business Employment Agency (a state-based office) to be subsequently distributed to appropriate federal and state agencies.

8.

Abolish all commercial stamp duties and all other business taxes (except for land and payroll tax).

9.  

Reduce fees for use of card payment systems by small businesses employing less than 20 people by requiring this reduction be written into the terms of bank licenses.

10.

Strengthen the Franchising Code of Conduct to provide additional protections for franchisees including acceptance of ‘class-type’ actions against franchisors.

11.

Ensure long-term workforce flexibility for small businesses employing less than 20 people by establishing community-based labour supply social enterprises which take responsibility for and meet the compliance obligations of employment in small firms, while developing the skills, career planning and social aspirations of employees.

12.

Establish a Small Business Advocate as an independent public statutory office to improve the regulatory environment for small business and reduce compliance costs.

Comments on the draft Manifesto are welcome and should be sent to Vern Hughes by email or on 0425 722 890. 

HOW TO BECOME INVOLVED

We will use the Manifesto in developing a major campaign in support of small business in the lead up to this year's federal election. Fill in the online form below if you wish to be involved..

We will aim to get every MP around the country to push for implementation of the points in this Manifesto, and we will monitor their efforts in doing so (as well as their parties). 

CLICK HERE to fill in our small business survey.



Name  

Email  

Phone  (bh)     Phone (ah) 

  I would like to be involved in developing the small business campaign

Tell us about yourself and your interests (optional)

  I would like to be placed on the campaign email list for further information.

 

Comments on the Manifesto and the campaign are welcome and should be sent to Vern Hughes by email or on 0425 722 890.
    
© Centre for Civil Society 2007

 
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