Noel Dyson

WITH the financial year over and the year’s figures in, small business owners need to be looking at their marketing plans.

TAX minimising investment schemes, usually linked with horticultural-type projects, have emerged in the mining industry.

THE Multiplex Consortium stands to make as much as $6.3 million from the Wellington Street soccer stadium, without having to turn a piece of soil.

ON the eve of the end of the 2000-01 financial year, financial planners have had a win over the dreaded Alienation of Personal Services Income provision.

IT’S official. Small business complaints that the GST has had a major impact on their time and cashflow have been borne out by two surveys.

A NEW Bill before the Federal Parliament promises to make life easier for contractors.

TAKING a punt on an emerging market five years ago has led to Ayres Composite Panels being named WA Small Business of the Year.

THE Western Rock Lobster Development Group is planning a major study of the dynamics of the Japanese market, following dramatic changes to the way the business operates there.

NEW provisions to catch personal services income introduced this year have been largely ignored as small business has struggled to deal with the GST.

IT’S a new language out there in tax land.

IT’S official. The Small Business Development Corporation is to remain a separate entity.

EMPLOYERS have a one-month wait to find out what the new Government’s changes to WA’s industrial relations laws will be.

MANY taxpayers will not be getting the full benefit of lower tax rates due to bracket creep.

FINANCE looms as one of the main issues concerning family-owned businesses.Nearly half of WA’s 116,300 small businesses are family operated.

BUSINESS groups are becoming concerned as the new WA Government comes closer to rolling back key legislation introduced by the Court Government.

THE ill wind that has blown through the wrecked houses of HIH and One.Tel has certainly blown the Australian Institute of Company Directors some good.

MENTORS and coaches are increasingly being used to help people starting out in business make their new ventures successful.

THE WA Government has started its push on unconscionable conduct protection for small businesses by reconstituting the Small Business Safeguards Committee.

FORMER Coalition Government Minister Graham Kierath is still weighing up his options more than 100 days after the State election.

WHILE technology is playing a part in management education – both in the curriculum and its delivery – the fundamentals remain the same.The growth of the Internet has broadened the scope in how trainers can reach their classes.

SMALL business operators need to pay attention to their bad debts as the financial year draws to a close.A bad debt written off before June 30 becomes an income tax deduction for the business.

THE WA Government’s proposal to abolish the differential electricity tariff for businesses not connected to the South West Interconnec-ted System should benefit regional small businesses.

CORPORATIONS Law changes will forcemany businesses to disclose their profit margins in this financial year’s reports.

A POOL maker’s decision to look at export possibilities to counter the effects of seasonal downturns has paid dividends.

BURSWOOD International Resort Casino managing director John Schaap has ruled out any possibility that the high rollers’ room could be moved to Kerry Packer’s proposed Westralia Square II development.

CAUTIOUS optimism has greeted Australian Labor Party plans to simplify the GST requirements on small businesses.

A WA engineering software retailer has developed a computer program to help small business owners with tough investment decisions.

FINANCIAL planning is becoming the new Mecca for financial institutions.

WORK on the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre could start within three months and the first convention or exhibition could be held there by March 2004.

PLANNERS and developers warn that WA’s planning system has ground to a halt, with a backlog of appeals building up in Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan’s office.

BUSINESSES may face another big compliance burden when new privacy legislation takes effect on December 21.

THE amount of sandalwood processed into value-added products in WA next year is expected to double.Albany-based Mt Romance has been given an extra 250 tonnes of sandalwood – taking its total processing stock to 500 tonnes.