New South Wales Treasurer Dominic Perrottet

Boxing Day Bonanza For New South Wales Businesses

Victor P Taffa

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet today backed the rights of New South Wales businesses to open on Boxing Day, as tens of thousands of shoppers across the State voted with their feet and took advantage of post-Christmas sales.

“Today I visited Westfield at Parramatta and the place was absolutely humming with people shopping and retailers doing a roaring trade.” Treasurer Perrottet said.

“As usual Labor have seen this success, and because the union bosses don’t like it, they want to turn back time and dictate to retailers, employees and consumers what they can and can’t do. I have news for (Labor Leader) Michael Daley… it is 2018 not 1918.”

Treasurer Perrottet said the Government had passed legislation in September 2017 to permanently give retailers, employees and consumers the freedom to trade, work and shop on Boxing Day, provided employees freely elect to work, after a 2-year trial and comprehensive review conducted by Professor Percy Allan AM.

In a submission made to the Government at that time the Shopping Centre Council of Australia (SCCA) analysed foot traffic and found Boxing Day was one of the most popular days for trading across the Christmas-New Year period.

Treasurer Perrottet also took aim at Labor leader Michael Daley’s pre-Christmas pledge to stop further payroll tax relief as being a “kick-in-the-guts” for small businesses.

New South Wales Liberals & Nationals announced in June the payroll tax threshold would be lifted progressively to $1 Million, meaning approximately 5,000 fewer businesses would pay payroll tax and around 40,000 would save up to $13,625 per year by 2021-22.

“Small businesses are the backbone of New South Wales, and this is the last thing mums and dads battling to build a bright future for their families want.” Treasurer Perrottet said.

“If Labor implement their policy of not raising the threshold to $1 Million in 2021-22 around 38,000 businesses will continue to pay up to $8,175 more payroll tax per annum.”

“If you add in the long list of projects Labor want to cancel, you have all the ingredients to take New South Wales from having the lowest unemployment of any state, at just 4.4 %, to being among the worst in the country.” Treasurer Perrottet said.