LETTER: Minister does not have best interests of small businesses
Labour minister should grant as many exemptions as possible to small business to bring them into the formal economy
“Too many exemptions' in new wage laws”, the headline reads in your January 11 edition. To the contrary, I believe the exemption process is onerous, cumbersome and almost impossible for small business to complete. When one looks at the regulations, one gets the distinct impression that minister of labour Mildred Oliphant is trying to make it as difficult as possible for businesses to obtain the exemptions. For instance, businesses will have to disclose full financial statements for three years. Many of the small business I have interacted with hardly have a set of books, let alone full financial statements. Many of these businesses aren’t even registered. The minister has a fantastic ability to miss any opportunity. If small businesses were granted the exemption after an interview, this would mean that they would at least come into “the net”. Once these businesses are in the net, one can start getting them registered and eventually rely on them to be tax payers. I have a strong beli...
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