2017 Federal Budget for Small Business

May 12th, 2017

pencil, paper and lightbulb

Small business has done well in this year’s federal budget. To encourage faster growth, an extension of the $20,000 instant asset tax write-off has been granted and a further $300 million will be provided to State Governments to reduce small business compliance costs.

Companies will benefit from a $100 million advanced manufacturing fund to drive business growth to compete internationally. About half of this funding will be set aside for an Advanced Manufacturing Growth Fund to help the industry adjust to the wind down of car manufacturing in SA and VIC.

Fintech will benefit from a number of initiatives that will help them compete in the market, including relaxing shareholder requirements for banks and allowing start-ups to test a wider range of fintech products without a licence. An “open banking” scheme will give customers easier access to their banking data and allow them to look for better and cheaper services.

There have been issues raised by many entrepreneurs however, as the budget focused on traditional industries rather than sectors like technology. Also, little comment was made about the ideas boom for promoting collaboration between industry and researchers. Stuart Richardson, co-founder of York Butter Factory stated, “It’s disappointing to see nearly nothing has been done to address the fact Australia is research heavy and commercialisation light. Lagging dead last in the OECD for commercialisation is surely impetus enough to drive action and intervention.”

Even so, $10 million will go to establishing Innovation Labs in South Australia and Victoria, providing business development opportunities and test centre facilities. Additionally, $4 million in grants was announced for small-scale research projects in advanced manufacturing.

The budget also gave $26.1 million to fund optical astronomical research with a commitment of $12 million per annum until 2027. The Minister said the partnership with the European Southern Observatory will offer Australian astronomers access to “front-line astronomical facilities, with opportunities for Australian influence and technical and scientific input, to stimulate research and industry collaboration.”

Start-ups partaking in R&D may be eligible for the R&D Tax Incentive, which can then be reinvested to grow the company. For more information, ask our experts at Swanson Reed R&D Tax Advisors.

Categories

Archives

Posted on Google Google
Daniel McGregor  profile picture
Daniel McGregor
11. August, 2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
I have been using Swanson Reed for my clients for more than a decade. Having a specialist firm that can provide practical and commercial advice that produces real outcomes is very important and we have received great feedback from our clients. Highly recommended.
Posted on Google Google
John  profile picture
John
15. June, 2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Damian and the rest of the team at Swanson Reed have been supporting us for several years. We always appreciate their insights, expertise, and efforts.
Posted on Google Google
Rueben Rajasingam  profile picture
Rueben Rajasingam
6. June, 2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Experienced responsive Team. They have been a great help to me and my company navigate the R&D tax claim process and have provided invaluable advice.
Posted on Google Google
Enrique Esquivel  profile picture
Enrique Esquivel
6. June, 2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Damian and the team at Swanson Reed have been extremely helpfully and professional during all of our consultations. Highly recommended.
Posted on Google Google
Jess at Y&C  profile picture
Jess at Y&C
3. June, 2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Posted on Google Google
Anatole Kononewsky  profile picture
Anatole Kononewsky
2. June, 2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
The Swanson Reed team have provided our company with exceptional professional advice and assistance for all of our R&D claims for many years - have always achieved great results with excellent value for their services.
Posted on Google Google
Payam Toloo  profile picture
Payam Toloo
2. June, 2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Damian Smyth and his team are very helpful, supportive and experts in their field of R&D Tax claims. I'm always happy with the work they do and been a customer of their for over 5 years.
Posted on Google Google
Melissa Doddy  profile picture
Melissa Doddy
31. May, 2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
The Team at Swanson Reed are very experienced R&D Tax Advisors and gave us ongoing support with all of our R&D Claims, the consultants ensured we were always working with current legislative guidelines, gave us assistance with compiling technical and government documentation and went out their way to ensure they were with us for the entire process from beginning to end. Highly recommended to anyone who needs assistance with working through what can at times be a daunting process.
Posted on Google Google
Gary Watson  profile picture
Gary Watson
31. May, 2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
We can highly recommend Swanson and Reed as an R & D accountant. We have worked with them for several years now as they make our R & D claim so easy and communicate quickly with both us and our accountant.
Posted on Google Google
Rob van den Bergh  profile picture
Rob van den Bergh
31. May, 2022
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Always professional.
Load more