“It’s a mixed bag,” “not a good budget” with “not a lot of surprises” that’s the verdict on this year’s budget from Amanda Lintott, Michael Fox and Carden Calder.
SmartCompany spoke to the three entrepreneurs ahead of Tuesday’s budget asking what they were hoping for and what they were worried about.
Now we’ve got back in touch to get their take on the good, the bad and the ugly of Treasurer Joe Hockey’s first budget.
Amanda Lintott, is the founder and director of recruitment company Career Driven.
Wish list
Paid parental leave scheme.
Reality
Lintott says this year’s budget is a “mixed bag” but doesn’t offer anything for SMEs at all.
“What was given was offset against things taken away,” she says.
“I would say the budget was a missed opportunity to drive investment into SMEs therefore neutral overall.”
Lintott says it is business as usual for her.
“As a small/medium business owner I am pleased with the reduction in company tax and to see some certainty around paid parental leave,” Lintott says.
Working in the recruitment sector, Lintott is pleased to see some attempt to shift company cultures towards older workers with the newly announced Restart program.
“Overall, however, I am not sure the budget will do much to improve consumer or business confidence,” she says.
Cara Waters is a former SmartCompany editor. Previously, Cara was a senior reporter for the Financial Times’ website and worked for The Sunday Times in London.
