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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 5 Hansard (3 May) . . Page.. 1539 ..

Basis- Basis is a free service offered by the ACT Government that brings potential suppliers and Government purchasing officers together electronically. Businesses can register their supply capability and be notified when supply opportunities arise.

Other- The ACT Government supports the ongoing development of home-based and small businesses through a number of other avenues, including:

> Competitive Payroll Tax Regime-A recent report by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu has found that the ACT payroll tax regime gives ACT businesses a clear advantage over other jurisdictions. The report indicates that the ACT's strategy of increasing the tax threshold rather than reducing the tax rate delivers a greater benefit to small business by increasing the employment capacity of a business' payroll before a tax liability is incurred.

The report goes on to say that the ACT tax threshold makes the ACT one of the lowest taxing jurisdictions for small business in the country.

4. A report on the performance of ACT Government business assistance programs is included in the Chief Minister's Department Annual Report. While programs are targeted at small and micro businesses, the available statistical data does not differentiate between small and home-based businesses.

5. All BusinessACT programs are constantly reviewed at an operational level to ensure they remain relevant to the ACT business community. For example, in response to client feedback, the Canberra Business Advisory Service was established, the new Small Business Growth Program was introduced and improvements to the navigation on the Business Gateway website were implemented.

While comprehensive program reviews are not undertaken on a regular basis, where formal reports have been obtained, it is generally the practice to release them publicly. For example, a review of the ACT Business Incentive Scheme was tabled in the Legislative Assembly by then Chief Minister in June 1999 and a report on the outcomes of this program is published in the Chief Minister's Department Annual Report.

6. No.

7. N/A.

8. N/A.

9. N/A.

10. In addition to the extensive support to small and home-based businesses outlined in the answer to Question 3, the ACT Government assists people starting a new business through the following additional programs:

New Future in Small Business -The New Future in Small Business training program helps participants to assess the feasibility of their business idea, get the business idea off the ground and to understand what is needed to succeed in business.

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