Page 2265 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 August 2016
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We have established a dedicated events approval team within Access Canberra to ensure that event organisers get personalised service when planning their event and to coordinate approvals from all regulatory arms of government. We have made a range of changes and investments in programs to support new exporters and innovators. We are delivering this in partnership with the Canberra Business Chamber around brand CBR, preparing companies for trade missions, and the capital metro business link program that will help small businesses explore opportunities from the light rail project. The small business innovation partnerships program is helping local businesses work with the ACT government in a range of engaging and innovative ways. It is connecting ACT government directorates with innovative local businesses to co-design service delivery solutions and deliver quality outcomes in the ACT public sector.
This goes without saying, Madam Deputy Speaker, but the volume of opportunity that will flow for this city from the direct international flights that have been delivered by my government in partnership with Canberra Airport that will start in less than two months—to Singapore and to Wellington—will facilitate access to significant growth opportunities for local business here in the ACT but also in the broader Canberra region.
Mr Wall made a number of comments in relation to taxation. He highlighted a range of increases in rates for commercial enterprises in the territory. What he neglected to say in his summary of changes to taxation is that those firms now no longer pay any land tax or any insurance tax and those were bills that were in the tens of thousands of dollars. Mr Wall was not in the Assembly when—
Mr Coe: You shifted them into rates. That’s all you did.
MR BARR: You cannot claim that rates are going up and then not acknowledge that all of those other taxes that they used to pay are now no longer there. There has been a shift away from inefficient taxes towards more efficient taxes.
Mr Wall: Tell the whole truth, Andrew, go on.
MR BARR: I am telling the whole truth, Mr Wall. You did not. You neglected to mention all of the taxes that were abolished in your miserable summary of economic conditions in the territory. But if you want to continue to talk this economy down and continue to talk down the performance of ACT small business, when it is leading the nation—you may well wish to continue that path—that is fine. I will talk about the positive achievements of small business in the territory, the positive achievements of the ACT economy and the opportunities for the future. That will be my focus. You can focus, Mr Wall, if you choose, on negativity, on talking down the achievements of small business and talking down the achievements of the ACT economy.
To conclude my remarks on taxation, I think it is important to address the issue of the lease variation charge. Again, this form of taxation has been in place in the territory since 1971. The underlying principle in relation to the lease variation charge is fundamentally economically sound. As to increases in the value of land arising from
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