Naylor Jono: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNaylor Jono: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 18 March 2015. Volume:704;Page:2355. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]12.JONO NAYLOR (National) to the Minister for Small Business: What reports has he received about support for measures the Government has taken to assist small business?Hon CRAIG FOSS (Minister for Small Business): According to the latest Mind Your Own Business (MYOB) business monitor survey of over 1000 small and medium businesses 65 percent trust this Government’s management of the economy up from 63 percent just prior to the election. The Government’s handling of the economy and our sensible policies have been identified as some of the reasons that New Zealand’s small and medium businesses continue their approval of this Government. This Government will continue our support for small and medium enterprises. We are committed to delivering on our policies through the Business Growth Agenda the Better for Business programmes and of course all those that help support small and medium enterprises to grow more and employ more Kiwis.Jono Naylor: What measures is the Government undertaking to help support small and medium businesses?Hon CRAIG FOSS: This Government is delivering on a number of measures to support growth of small and medium businesses. These include making it easier to employ staff by implementing the 90-day trial the starting-out wage simplifying the way small businesses interact with the Government via the New Zealand Business Number rolling out ultra-fast broadband reducing personal and company tax rates and reducing compliance costs under the Better Public Services targets. These policies and others show again that this Government is better for business.Jono Naylor: What factors would stifle the growth of small and medium business?Hon CRAIG FOSS: According to the MYOB report small and medium businesses want to focus on growth innovation and employment. The last thing small businesses need is to have to spend more time effort resource and money on things such as new and complex taxes unionised workplaces and large minimum wage increases. Those factors are in fact still proposed by the Labour Party.Jacinda Ardern: Has he received any reports from small business representatives or small businesses themselves supporting the Government’s decision not to further reduce ACC levies by $350 million in line with ACC’s recommendation last year?Hon CRAIG FOSS: Just last night actually I was at a function for about 130-odd small businesses in Hawke’s Bay. And a few of them—we did discuss actually the $1.5 billion of ACC reductions that have already been announced banked and locked in by this Government. Those same organisations also talked about the need for certainty transparency clarity and a sustainable accident compensation system within New Zealand which would not happen if in fact the member were to get her political hands on setting the levies of ACC.Jacinda Ardern: Can the Minister explain how ACC was incorrect in proposing to the Government that it would be sustainable to reduce ACC levies by $350 million for small and medium sized enterprises?Hon CRAIG FOSS: If that member had been listening via various question times over the last week she would have seen and probably heard that the decisions that are around the levy settings are actually a decision of Cabinet—such as the $1.5 billion decision in ACC reductions that have already occurred.Jacinda Ardern: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I specifically asked the Minister to explain—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume her seat. The question was asked it was a legitimate question and on this occasion the answer addressed the question.Jacinda Ardern: Is he saying that ACC was wrong to assert that levies could sustainably be reduced for small and medium sized enterprises?Hon CRAIG FOSS: Well part of that question you should address to the ACC Minister but in fact small and medium sized enterprises in New Zealand are enjoying the benefits of the $1.5 billion per annum—now locked in—reductions of ACC while balancing the need to have a strong sustainable ACC system that brings certainty to small and medium enterprises in New Zealand.Jacinda Ardern: Will he ask the Small Business Development Group at its next meeting whether it supports ACC’s proposal that levies for small and medium sized businesses be lowered immediately by $350 million?Hon CRAIG FOSS: In my ongoing discussions with members of that group and in fact with many many others in the small business community they all value the $1.5 billion reduction of ACC levies they are already enjoying and banking. Of course businesses always like lower costs but at the same time they like transparency certainty and sustainable agencies of Government such as we have with ACC now.Jacinda Ardern: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Small Business Development Group is meeting in the Minister’s electorate very soon. I simply asked whether he would put one question to it.Mr SPEAKER: I agree and I am going to invite the member to ask that question again.Jacinda Ardern: Will he ask the Small Business Development Group at its next meeting whether it supports ACC’s proposal that levies for small and medium sized businesses be lowered immediately by $350 million?Hon CRAIG FOSS: I would very much prefer not to pull or drag that group into some political sphere. It provides good policy advice and discussion in fact in and around other issues such as locking in the $1.5 billion reduction of ACC levies that have already been locked in. But I welcome that member’s interest in the Small Business Development Group and she could read many of its reports. In fact it would be quite good if she came in and supported its position for example on the 90-day trial.