Small Business Minister Mark Arbib says payroll tax, red tape, rents key issues for small business

Payroll tax, rents and slashing red tape have emerged as key issues during Mark Arbib’s consultations with stakeholders since his appointment as Small Business Minister last month.

In an interview with SmartCompany, Arbib says shoring up confidence and ensuring small business continues to employ people are priorities, amid concerns about the European debt crisis and the patchwork economy.

“During the GFC I worked closely with HIA [Housing Industry Association], with the Master Builders, with ACCI [Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry] and with all the chambers, to ensure that small businesses were supported.

“Together we came up with Apprenticeship Kickstart, which … we targeted 21,000 apprenticeships to help largely SMEs and hit 25,000 and that was through government subsidies and grants.

“So I’ve had a great deal of experience supporting small business, and I want to continue to do that now.”

Arbib, who is also serving as Assistant Treasurer, Manager of Government Business in the Senate and the Minister for Sport, says the carbon tax is “not top of mind for most small businesses”.

“The bigger issue for them is looking at some of their fixed costs. Issues around rent are something that gets raised with me often. State payroll tax is something that’s constantly raised,” he said this morning.

The New South Wales right-winger says he’ll be following up on discussions on eliminating unpopular state taxes, flagged during last year’s tax forum, and he hopes to reduce the obstacles for small business in procuring government contracts.

Questioned on the need for the Small Business Ministry to be included in cabinet, Arbib says his involvement in the expenditure committee will hold the sector in good stead.

“To me, it’s more important to have a minister who is willing to knock down the cabinet door,” he says.

“I’m on the expenditure review committee, so … a great deal of the debate around small business and around policy will be coming to the ERC and that’s where the real tough great questions about money happen.

“So I think having a minister having the ERC is critical but at the same time, having a minister who is willing to knock down the cabinet door if small businesses’ views aren’t being taken into consideration is more important, and that’s what I’ll be doing.”

Arbib says he will consider the Franchise Council’s preliminary call for the development of a small business assistance program that would allow emerging companies to use the federal government guarantee when seeking funding.

But he adds that the Council of Small Business of Australia’s push for small business to be relieved of the requirement to pay parental leave to staff members hadn’t emerged as an important issue in his discussions.