Doocey Matt: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDoocey Matt: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 25 March 2015. Volume:704;Page:2578. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]9.MATT DOOCEY (National—Waimakariri)to the Minister for Small Business: How are small businesses benefiting from the Better for Business - Result 9 Programme?Hon CRAIG FOSS (Minister for Small Business):The Better for Business - Result 9 Programme is a partnership of Government agencies that are working to make it easier and cheaper for businesses by reducing the time effort and cost of dealing with the public sector. Some examples of those benefits introduced to make things easier for small businesses when dealing with the Government include things such as the New Zealand Business Number the employer registration tool and the Compliance Matters online tool. A business reference group made up of 1200 small and medium enterprises has been surveyed over the last 6 months. The latest report shows a net 7 percent reduction in the reported effort required to deal with Government agencies and an improvement in reported performance by Government agencies.Matt Doocey: What other initiatives are under way to reduce red tape which will benefit small businesses?Hon CRAIG FOSS: Silly and sometimes contradictory rules add costs to small business and have a negative impact on their cash flows. They encourage small business owners to make submissions to the Rules Reduction Taskforce. They can do so online. Although the task force is primarily focused on property regulations administered by local authorities unnecessary or pedantic rules administered by central government will also be considered. Reducing red tape will make it easier for small businesses to do their business and help the New Zealand economy grow.Matt Doocey: What other initiatives could impact the cash flow of small businesses?Mr SPEAKER: Provided it is within the responsibility of the Minister I call the Hon Craig Foss.Hon CRAIG FOSS: Of course Mr Speaker. Small businesses work hard and strive to achieve positive cash flows. There are a number of ways in which those cash flows could be negatively affected. For example new and complex taxes would negatively impact small business cash flows across New Zealand and higher than necessary minimum wage costs would. Costs such as those which would have a negative impact on small business cash flows are still the policies being proposed by—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member has no responsibility for another political party.Jacinda Ardern: What will Result 9 save small to medium sized businesses and will it exceed the up to $3000 that the Government could save in small to medium sized enterprises tomorrow or $350 million in total if it reduced ACC levies?Hon CRAIG FOSS: I welcome the question from the member. Small businesses will enjoy the benefits first of all of the existing locked in $1.5 billion reduction in ACC levies committed to and announced by this Government. As small businesses engage with the Government online using tools such as the small business calculator they will go through and see the benefits of such reductions in ACC levies.Jacinda Ardern: What evidence does he have that a reduction in ACC levies would be unsustainable as he so vehemently claimed in the House last week?Hon CRAIG FOSS: From memory—sitting in this House in about late 2008 and looking at the sad state of ACC that this Government inherited and the devastating impact of the changes in those levies as a result of ACC being financially unsustainable at that time. It had a devastating impact and there is solid evidence that those levies need to be managed appropriately as they are allowing $1.5 billion in ACC levy reductions over the term of this Government so far.