MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO – 7 July 2017

ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP: CoSBA has commenced signing up businesses as Associate Members, that are a constitutional corporation or a registered business operating under a registered business name and Australian Business Number (A.B.N.).

THE ALBATROSS: In last week’s Broadcast we commented about an article published in The Australian, June 26, 2017 under the heading ‘Fair Work an albatross around the neck of business, says IPA’: The industrial umpire is overwhelmed by unfair dismissal claims, as a conservative think tank claims the Fair Work Act has become an “albatross around the neck” of small-business owners, with about 80 per cent of cases involving “go-away money”.

This week we comment about an article published in The Australian, July 4, 2017 under the heading ‘We’re compensating bullies and it’s unfair to small business’ (Copied below), that reports: “Under today’s unfair dismissal regime, employers are compensating and having to reinstate employees who have bullied or harassed and even assaulted their colleagues.”As we commented last week, a lot of justifiably dismissed employees know that and milk the system, many on the advice of lawyers. And, it is well established that so called “Fair Work” is an albatross around the neck of small business. And, we call upon the Federal Government to amend the so-called “Fair Work Act” to stop this travesty of justice against small businesses.

The outcry protesting against this abject unfairness is not new. The cry to stop the persecution of small businesses is getting louder and more sustained, and it is without hesitation we too add our voice.

For too long small business has suffered under the yoke of the draconian and oppressive unfair dismissal laws imposed under the so-called Fair Work Act, and whilst we acknowledge the Government has done much to support of needs and aspirations of small business, it must now grasp the nettle put this travesty to an end as a matter of priority.

The time is long overdue for this albatross to be removed from the neck of small business. This is a call that begs urgent and decisive action by the Government. As a modest start the legalism and lawyers must be removed from the system.

A TAXING TIME: Small businesses are on notice by the Tax Commissioner. ‘ATO shifts focus from business to individuals’ reports The Australian on July 5, 2017: “The Australian Taxation Office has every day workers in its sights, revealing the amount of unpaid personal income tax and rental expenses “swamps” the $2.5 billion not paid by large corporates.

In the first address by an ATO Commissioner to the National Press Club, Chris Jordan warned a “startlingly” large number of individuals were effectively gaming the system, either through “legitimate mistakes and carelessness” or “recklessness and fraud”.

He warned that the tax gaps for small business and individuals — who claimed more than $22 billion for work-related expenses in 2014-15 — were “likely to be bigger” than the large corporates market.”