Labour will give small businesses a fair shot at government contracts and slash the time they spend on government paperwork. 

"Small business owners don't want a handout, they just want a fair go," Labour finance and economy spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. 

"While Christopher Luxon insults small businesses and asks, ‘who cares what the government thinks,’ we’re listening to small businesses and making government work better for them.  

“Labour will make it easier for small businesses to bid for government work, stop agencies asking for information they already have, and make sure new rules are tested against the reality of running a small business. 

“Government is the biggest customer in the country - buying around $50 billion of goods and services annually. That means huge opportunities for local businesses, from printing and landscaping to IT and building maintenance. 

“Labour will set a target of 15% of the government's annual contracts to go to small businesses, break up big contracts where it makes sense, and remove unnecessary barriers that shut small businesses out,” said Barbara Edmonds.  

“We know that paperwork and compliance costs waste so much time and money for small businesses," Labour revenue spokesperson Deborah Russell said. 

“Labour will cut red tape for small businesses. We’ll undertake a work programme that reviews tax admin, including provisional tax, filing requirements and the pile-up of deadlines in January and February to make sure the system works for small businesses. We'll also look at agency information-sharing arrangements so that businesses don't have to tell the government the same thing over and over again. 

“We’re putting small business at the heart of how our government operates – giving them a bigger slice of the pie and making it easier for them to grow. 

“It’s all part of Labour’s plan to back the small businesses keeping our economy ticking,” Deborah Russell said.