Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Small Business A sketch in five slides May 2015

Small business is the engine room of the Australian economy 2

Legal structures and compliance burdens Small businesses operate as sole traders, partnerships, trusts, companies or a combination of these. A small business may use a complex structure, including trusts and companies, for a number of reasons, including tax. Small businesses tend to pay more per dollar of turnover in tax compliance costs than larger businesses. This limits money available to grow the business. 3

Innovation: benefits and risks Innovation comes with risk and rewards. Companies engaged in innovation are more than twice as likely to report increases in the total number of employees, but investing in innovation can be risky. Unless it is appropriately designed, the tax system can further discourage risk-taking, reduce investment and stifle innovation in the economy. 4

Some of the existing measures to support innovation and small business 5

The Budget takes the next steps... 6 Getting tax settings right for small business is an important part of getting the right environment for small businesses to prosper.