TASMANIA’S small business sector has already welcomed this week’s Federal Budget initiatives to help the sector create jobs, says Treasurer Joe Hockey.
Mr Hockey told Federal Parliament on Thursday that several small business operators in the Lyons electorate were already planning equipment upgrades in the knowledge that they could immediately write off any purchase up to $20,000 .
Lyons MP Eric Hutchinson, who asked Mr Hockey how the Budget could help small businesses in his electorate create jobs, welcomed his remarks.
“I’m getting the same feedback,’’ Mr Hutchinson said.
“Small business operators are telling me that these initiatives have given them optimism.’’
Mr Hockey told Parliament that there were 7050 small businesses in the Lyons’ electorate with many of them in agriculture.
“In fact across Australia, eight in 10 jobs in farming are in small business,’’ he said.
“In construction, six in 10 jobs are in small business – all those tradies out there. We want them to get the very best tools, we want them to improve their business, we want them to help smash that red tape burden that they have to go through at night in order to make their business viable.’’
Mr Hockey said that he had been told the story of Jane Shaw, the proprietor of Ingleside Bakery, at Evandale, who described the tax cut of up to $1000 for unincorporated small businesses as a massive help to cash flow.
“This is a beautiful town, Evandale and it is a great bakery. I am familiar with it,’’ Mr Hockey said.
“This morning Ms Shaw was planning what the business could buy with that new allowance and said that the budget news had given her optimism.’’
Mr Hutchinson said that small business operators were the economic back bone of his Lyons electorate.
FEDERAL Lyons MP Eric Hutchinson
