James Shaw – 
Small businesses are the lifeblood of New Zealand.
According to government figures, 97% of businesses in New Zealand are small. In fact, one in three New Zealanders are employed in small businesses.
These provide a third of our Gross Domestic Product, vital jobs and more importantly, keep our communities going.
Despite their importance and value to our economy, they have not always been supported by our government. Small businesses come in many shapes and sizes, and do different things, but the government’s focus on nothing but dairy has left our economy vulnerable to global shocks.
If we want to build an economy that is strong and diverse, more has to be done to support small businesses so that they are able to withstand the shocks and changes to the global economy.
Easing procedures
The Green Party wants to make it easier to start, operate and grow a small business. Top of the list is making compliance easier. It costs small businesses more time and money, per employee, to comply with legislation than it costs large businesses.
By simplifying provisional tax and reducing compliance costs for small businesses, we will ensure time, money, and energy is invested into growing businesses rather than dealing with government administration.
Capital issues
Capital for small businesses can be hard to obtain, especially given New Zealand’s size.
This is why the Green Party is committed to ensuring lack of capital is not an inhibitor to success. We will look at ways of increasing capital for small businesses including tax deductions for investors. Having a comprehensive capital gains tax will encourage capital to move from housing to productive enterprise.
Another vital source of encouragement for small businesses that the Green Party will invest in is improving training and support. This way those in small businesses can up-skill and upgrade without having resources drained from the business itself.
Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and will continue to be. What we do to help them helps us all.
James Shaw is Co-Leader of Green Party of New Zealand. The following appears on the Party’s website:
Mr Shaw has a vision for New Zealand, where every home generates more energy than it uses, where every vehicle emits nothing more noxious than water, where every industry restores and replenishes more than it consumes. He is committed to combating climate change. One of his biggest accomplishments was helping to start PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Sustainable Business Services practice and getting the firm involved in the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Mr Shaw was raised by his solo mother and, later, her and her partner. Their values – and their sense of humour – is a source of inspiration for James.
