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Ahhh – no. Bleating about personal tax cuts was pretty much held to define the agenda at the last election. Higher wages didn’t get a look in. Fast forward to today and it’s the same story, every second headline seems to be about tax cuts, and outside of places like The Standard wages still don’t appear on the agenda (recent ripples over Key’s comments notwithstanding).

low productivity

By what measure?

highest overall welfare payments in years

Welfare to working age population is significantly down and still falling. It’s only up if you include superannuation from our growing and ageing population (as you well know when you use the word “overall”). Should we send the elderly to the poorhouse then?

kiwisaver and 4th weeks holiday

Kiwisaver creates funds for long term investment and growth, and a 4th week of holiday still leaves us only on a par with or behind most similar economies.

So, apart from leaving National policy intact, what exactly has Labour done to make the life of the small business owner easier?

Hmmm – cut their taxes? (Something National has never done as far as I recall). Created local funds for long term investment (Cullen fund, Kiwisaver). Modern apprenticeships to upskill the workforce. The kinds of initiatives that Robinsod and the bean referred to above. In short, plenty.

This is my favourite line “Besides which, small businesses with motivation and determination don’t bloody well need this kind of airy fairy BS – they just go and do it”

Ahh yes so they can make it all by themselves but your going to complain when they fail that the govt didn’t help enough? You need to calm yourself donw Dean. Personal attacks and swearing don’t make up for the fact that you are wrong

It’s an idealogical deal, much the same as the calls for higher wages is. Personally I’m on the fence about personal tax rates, but I would point out that it’s only as much bleating as is the call for higher wages.

“The pressure put on Labour over this issue has been immense, and it is to their credit that they withstood it for so long. In my opinion Labour should put a hold on the currently proposed personal tax cuts. Recent events have shown how fragile the government’s supposed huge surpluses are – here today, gone tomorrow. Cullen is looking increasingly like a very prudent and successful manager of the economy wouldn’t you say?”

Hardly. Refer to high interest rates, low productivity, highest overall welfare payments in years, kiwisaver and 4th weeks holiday… really. If you want to continue down the line of Cullen being such a great manager of the economy and being so small business friendly then you are on a hiding to nothing.

Like I said earlier, the company tax cut doesn’t count for small business, because it’s been pretty much nullified by the increased costs the government has introduced by the 4th weeks holiday and kiwisaver contributions.

So, apart from leaving National policy intact, what exactly has Labour done to make the life of the small business owner easier?

No Dean, the further examples that you quote don’t seem out of spec to me. Downturns may be predicted as a consequence of a worldwide financial crisis, but that doesn’t invalidate claims relating to current achievements.

Also, while we’re looking at taxes, note what the linked wikipedia page shows us about personal tax. Third lowest of the thirty countries listed! That puts a lot of right wing bleating about how overtaxed people are into context doesn’t it. Where is the case for personal tax cuts based on this data?

The pressure put on Labour over this issue has been immense, and it is to their credit that they withstood it for so long. In my opinion Labour should put a hold on the currently proposed personal tax cuts. Recent events have shown how fragile the government’s supposed huge surpluses are – here today, gone tomorrow. Cullen is looking increasingly like a very prudent and successful manager of the economy wouldn’t you say?

Steve, much as I hate to agree with Dean above, I can’t see how you support that claim with the wikipedia page that you link to as a source. Since I think this is an excellent post in general, I’d like to see a fix or your comment on how you interpret this?

What’s even better, rOb, is that Steve has selectively quoted the parts he likes and left out the parts that don’t agree with his dogma. For instance, from the article in the Herald he quoted, he left out the part that said “However he predicted business failures would increase in the next two years, as a downturn in the housing market and tougher economic conditions began to bite.”

Similarly, he fudged the stats on the corruption ranking, which actually places us 1st equal with 2 other countries. No doubt he will claim that adding up the stats over the years before will prove him right, but that’s like so many Labour apologists who take the stats from years before only when it suits them, when all that really matters is how it is at present.

It’s actually difficult to begin, because you’re so idealogically blinded on so many levels. Being so breathtakingly incorrect or misguided isn’t something I’m used to having to deal with.

“(2) Industry New Zealand Enterprise Awards Scheme. Small businesses and entrepreneurs can apply for 50 per cent of the total costs of a project, and the scheme will fund up to $10,000 in any one year. Funding can cover such things as feasibility studies; prototype design; business planning; market research; business appraisal; and mentoring.”

That’s so fantastic it makes me wonder why small businesses are so highly taxed. But just like WFF, if you can’t take it off them first and then make them jump through hoops to get it back again then it must be wrong, right? Besides which, small businesses with motivation and determination don’t bloody well need this kind of airy fairy BS – they just go and do it. And there have been loads of examples of this in New Zealand, without I might add this kind of “We can help you!!!!!!” attitude.

You’re going to have to try harder, because you just don’t get it yet.

“(3) Industry New Zealand Investment Ready Programme to improve innovative small businesses’ and entrepreneurs’ chances of raising development finance.’

I won’t give you the hyperlink cos I know you don’t like them”

Because Industry New Zealand does so much for small businesses. I’d encourage you to talk with small businesses to see what kind of difference they’ve made instead of how you seem to get your news, which is hyperlinks from government websites. Because you’re wrong. Again.

“Or from the Minister for Small Business
“I was able to tell them that one of the areas that we have already improved since their last survey was the ease with which you can get a tax number when forming a company. Since last month New Zealand businesses have been able to apply for their business tax number and register for GST when they incorporate their companies online. This means that setting up a company in New Zealand has become a one-step process, which in most instances will take less than an hour to complete.’”

Yeah, because getting a tax number and registering for GST took so very, very long beforehand and was something small businesses did all the time, almost every day. Have you got any idea of how much of a non event this was? Obviously not.

Honestly. Is this the best you can do?

“Or this one “The Minister for Small Business, Lianne Dalziel, has welcomed the release of the 5th Compliance Cost Survey, which indicates compliance costs are down for small business.’”

That’s true.

Unfortunate that we’re taxed so highly though, isn’t it? And before you claim otherwise, perhaps you’d like to read Steve’s link. It says it all.

Seriously, the bean. Until you can do better, you’d be best to not make yourself look uninformed anymore than you already have. It’s not amusing anymore.

…were small (fewer than 10 staff) I am also closely involved in the management of a somewhat larger entity here. By and large we can just get on with the business we’re in rather than having to hassle about tax and compliance issues.

NZ is not perfect in many ways, but anyone who whinges about business compliance here needs to take a big dose of HTFU.

As an aside re: wages – today’s Sudden Debt (http://suddendebt.blogspot.com/2008/03/variations-on-theme.html) has an interesting corollary (and highly recommended piano piece!) for the low wage brigade.

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Yes I have, both there and here. There I had the crap taxed out of me and no help from the mindless petty bureaucrats I had to interact with, bribes were commonplace, late penalties and the like were steep, systems were paper based and slow… Here things are way better. Low cost of entry, much more info and help available, far better systems, the functionaries I interact with are generally pleasant and helpful. Many business ecosystems (postal, telecommunications) work waaaaaay better than there. Although the two businesses I ran/run were small (

“(2) Industry New Zealand Enterprise Awards Scheme. Small businesses and entrepreneurs can apply for 50 per cent of the total costs of a project, and the scheme will fund up to $10,000 in any one year. Funding can cover such things as feasibility studies; prototype design; business planning; market research; business appraisal; and mentoring.

(3) Industry New Zealand Investment Ready Programme to improve innovative small businesses’ and entrepreneurs’ chances of raising development finance.”

I won’t give you the hyperlink cos I know you don’t like them

Or from the Minister for Small Business
“I was able to tell them that one of the areas that we have already improved since their last survey was the ease with which you can get a tax number when forming a company. Since last month New Zealand businesses have been able to apply for their business tax number and register for GST when they incorporate their companies online. This means that setting up a company in New Zealand has become a one-step process, which in most instances will take less than an hour to complete.”

Or this one “The Minister for Small Business, Lianne Dalziel, has welcomed the release of the 5th Compliance Cost Survey, which indicates compliance costs are down for small business.”

Perhaps you’d like to have an informed opinion that wasn’t just a hyperlink? You know you can do it!