Small Business

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• Not available on their website yet.

• Continue promoting ways of simplifying and reducing compliance requirements for small businesses.
• Require Health and Safety to synchronise assessments and inspections with related agencies as much as possible, and to actively assist with businesses setting up their safety policies and have sector specific checklists on their website.
• Explore ways of increasing access to capital for small businesses, including providing tax deductions for investors.
• Support the expansion of local banking options (e.g. Building Societies, locally owned banks, 'network' organisations and micro-credit) and their provision of small business capital.
• Have small business practice as an option across all degrees, diplomas and apprenticeships, especially where there is traditionally a high rate of self-employment (fine arts, medicine, trades, agriculture etc.). (more here)

• Increase the portion of government procurement undertaken by small businesses by $300 million per annum by the end of our first term, thereafter increasing by 1% per annum until a target of 20% is reached (and review thereafter).
• Build on the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants4 proposal of ‘no more than one hour, one return and one payment each month for income tax and GST compliance’.
• Also consider alternatives to the provisional tax regime and explore options around the taxation of the smallest businesses, including the treatment of assets.
• Reprioritise within MBIE so that more resources are directed towards combing legislation for redundant and archaic requirements and law with unintended consequences. Where possible, industries will be delegated greater scope for self- regulation while ensuring appropriate safeguards are in place.
• Work with EDANZ, Chambers of Commerce and other interested parties to establish a more effective central Government presence in each of the 14 Economic Development districts in New Zealand. (more here)

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• Not available on their website yet.

• Simplify the GST system so more is done online, modernise the PAYE system, and reduce the compliance burden of the employer monthly schedule.
• Move the tax system closer to real-time reporting, eliminate many issues around provisional and secondary tax, and address other frustrating areas of tax compliance.
• Investigate how we can make it cheaper and easier for creditors to enforce civil court decisions, and close loopholes that let people dodge their debts. SMEs should be able to depend on the civil courts to help enforce contracts, rather than waste time and money chasing those who refuse to pay what they owe.
• Extend the use of the NZ Business Number to reduce costs for businesses dealing with government agencies. All key government agencies that regularly work with businesses will have to recognise and use the NZBN by the end of 2017.
• Continue to improve New Zealand’s business environment by passing the Employment relations Amendment Bill to increase flexibility and fairness in labour markets and passing the Accounting Infrastructure Reform Bill to make accounting and audit industry more efficient. (more here)

• Not available on their website yet.

• Further simplify the admistration of the tax system to relieve the compliance burden on SMEs.
• Encourage entrepreneurial activity, especially export orientation, assistance in export introductions, pooling of expertise, mentoring schemes, and introduction to funders all through a regionally available MED co-ordinated service that has minimal bureaucracy attached to it. (more here)