Businesses buried in red tape finds ACCI survey
PrintA new survey released by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has found that companies pay an average of $10,00 a year and five hours per week in dealing with unnecessary quantities of red tape.
The ACCI announced the survey in response to an earlier motion by the COAG Business Advisory Forum which agreed that government and business needed to do more to combat productivity sapping red tape.
”We’re launching a new national survey to measures how heavily regulation is impacting on business. We asked business all over the country: How much time do you spend on regulations, how much money does it cost you, is it holding your business back, is it stopping you from hiring?” Chief Executive of ACCI Peter Anderson said.
“To coin a phrase from our politicians, we want to end the blame game, and put some solid evidence on the table as a starting point for discussion that can bring about real reform. Government and business both want to reduce red tape, and we believe that this survey will help us take a step forward.”
In all, 870 businesses were surveyed over the past month, across every state and territory, showing the following:
- 44% of businesses spend between 1 and 5 hours a week complying with government (federal, state or local) regulatory requirements (filling out forms, applying for permits, reporting business activity);
- 72% of businesses say the time they’re spending on red tape has increased in the last two years;
- 42.2% estimate they spent more than $10,000 complying with government regulations last year;
- 59.7% say red tape has a moderate to major impact on their business;
- 54.3% say that complying with government regulations has prevented them making changes to grow or expand their business.
According to ACCI, direct feedback from businesses show the most regulated areas are workplace health and safety, conditions of employment and employing workers.
The full survey can be found here