15 May 2015

Shorten shows contempt for small business

He still fails to recognise small businesses are the key to our nation’s future jobs and prosperity.

I am pleased Bill Shorten has generally supported the Government’s record $5.5 billion Jobs and Small Business package. 

However last night's union stump response speech was just another thought bubble. There was no explanation of how Labor's ideas would work, apply or be funded. 

Perhaps Bill Shorten could explain to Australia’s tradies why he doesn’t think they should be entitled to the same tax cut as other small businesses.

Or why mums working from home should be left in the cold, especially given half of all new small businesses are being started by entrepreneurial women.

When pressed for detail on the ABC’s 7.30 programme, Bill Shorten himself admitted he had no plan:

LEIGH SALES:

You've proposed cutting the tax rate for small business by five per cent; the Government's plan is 1.5 per cent. Where is your modelling on that to show that the benefit to the economy of your five per cent proposal will outweigh the lost revenue?

BILL SHORTEN:

First of all, what I said is that Tony Abbott and I need to talk about it.

Labor has been promising a five per cent company tax cut since 2010 but in government was unable to reduce the company tax rate by even one per cent.

Last night, Bill Shorten also made a mockery of small business and of the accelerated depreciation measure in the Government’s historic package, which has been warmly welcomed by small business for its capacity to fire up our economy and help small businesses grow.

The Abbott Government has a real plan for all small businesses, which is responsible, fully funded and is already helping small businesses on the ground to grow more, invest more and employ more.

In Bill Shorten’s ‘Year of Big Ideas’ all he has is another unformed, unfunded thought bubble.