Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Pre-Budget 2019 Survey
Question 1
How is the government performing when it comes to managing the broader New Zealand economy?
| Very well / well | Poorly / very poorly | Not sure |
|---|---|---|
| 31.77% | 62.78% | 5.45% |
Question 2
Thinking specifically about this year’s upcoming Budget, do you think it will have a positive or negative impact on:
| Very positive | Positive | Neither positive or negative | Negative | Very negative | Not sure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You personally | 1.5% | 6.95% | 40.79% | 40.60% | 6.95% | 3.20% |
| Your business | 0.79% | 9.31% | 33.47% | 42.77% | 8.71% | 4.95% |
| The NZ economy | 1.15% | 14.94% | 20.50% | 49.43% | 11.30% | 2.68% |
| New Zealanders' wellbeing | 6.49% | 22.33% | 36.07% | 25.38% | 6.68% | 3.05% |
Question 3
Do you expect this year’s Budget to be better or worse than last year’s Budget for:
| Much better | A little better | About the same | A little worse | A lot worse | Not sure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You personally | 0.94% | 8.85% | 39.55% | 38.04% | 10.17% | 2.45% |
| Your business | 1.38% | 6.29% | 36.35% | 35.95% | 14.34% | 5.70% |
| The NZ economy | 1.71% | 12.93% | 27.95% | 37.07% | 17.87% | 2.47% |
| New Zealanders' wellbeing | 7.25% | 20.80% | 35.88% | 24.62% | 8.59% | 2.86% |
Question 4
What do you expect the following economic indicators to do over the next year?
| Increase a lot (5) | Increase a little (4) | Stay about the same (3) | Decrease a little (2) | Decrease a lot (1) | Not sure | 2019 Sentiment (3-neutral) | 2018 Sentiment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ economic growth forecasts | 0.94% | 11.68% | 22.98% | 49.91% | 13.56% | 0.94% | 2.34 | 2.48 |
| Consumer confidence | 1.33% | 12.90% | 21.82% | 45.35% | 17.84% | 0.76% | 2.32 | 2.34 |
| Business confidence | 1.13% | 8.49% | 16.94% | 2.26% | 30.19% | 0.94% | 2.05 | 2.08 |
| International investments | 0.95% | 9.64% | 24.14% | 34.22% | 26.28% | 3.78% | 2.13 | 2.16 |
| Exports | 1.70% | 26.14% | 39.96% | 22.16% | 6.44% | 3.60% | 2.84 | 2.98 |
| Dairy prices | 2.27% | 21.78% | 43.18% | 21.21% | 4.55% | 7.01% | 2.75 | 2.87 |
| Job security | 2.08% | 10.21% | 35.35% | 41.97% | 8.88% | 1.51% | 2.50 | 2.58 |
| House prices | 4.54% | 24.36% | 34.59% | 31.95% | 3.78% | 0.76% | 2.92 | 3.05 |
Question 5
How important is it for the government to:
| Very important | Somewhat important | Not so important | Not at all important | Not sure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance the budget | 53.38% | 35.98% | 9.09% | 0.97% | 0.58% |
| Measure performance through economic factors (such as GDP and employment rates) | 49.91% | 40.26% | 7.37% | 0.76% | 1.70% |
| Measure performance through environmental factors (such as air and water quality) | 29.55% | 40.53% | 23.48% | 5.68% | 0.76% |
| Measure performance through personal wellbeing factors (such as mental health and community engagement) | 30.19% | 42.26% | 18.68% | 7.55% | 1.32% |
Question 6
Which measures do you feel are most important to include in this year's budget.Please select five:
| Productivity growth | 57.89% |
|---|---|
| Education | 56.77% |
| GDP Growth | 54.32% |
| Hospital waiting lists | 53.95% |
| Environment | 43.61% |
| Government debt | 42.29% |
| Mental health | 39.10% |
| Housing affordability | 35.34% |
| Child poverty | 33.46% |
| Average income | 27.44% |
| Unemployment rate | 21.80% |
| Income inequality | 18.98% |
| Other | 7.89% |
| Perceptions of safety | 7.14% |
Question 8
Here are some things that other businesses have said government could do to create a better environment for business growth. Rank the following issues in order of how much of a difference they’d make to your business.
| Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplify the tax system and cut red tape for business | 12.84% | 11.01% | 12.16% | 8.03% | 8.26% | 8.94% | 9.63% | 9.86% | 12.61% | 6.65% |
| Reduce company tax rates | 12.84% | 11.01% | 12.16% | 8.03% | 8.26% | 8.94% | 9.63% | 9.86% | 12.61% | 6.65% |
| Reduce personal tax rates | 13.06% | 11.49% | 13.74% | 12.61% | 10.36% | 7.66% | 6.76% | 10.81% | 8.56% | 4.95% |
| Introduce a Capital Gains Tax | 3.87% | 2.96% | 2.51% | 2.05% | 2.51% | 3.64% | 4.10% | 4.10% | 11.85% | 62.41% |
| Invest in research and development systems | 4.62% | 12.01% | 15.47% | 16.63% | 12.47% | 13.16% | 11.78% | 7.39% | 5.31% | 1.15% |
| Invest in infrastructure (i.e. rail, ports, roads etc) | 19.25% | 19.91% | 15.27% | 11.50% | 12.17% | 8.41% | 4.87% | 3.54% | 3.10% | 1.99% |
| Encourage the immigration of highly skilled workers | 6.21% | 9.20% | 8.51% | 11.72% | 14.02% | 11.03% | 13.33% | 12.87% | 9.43% | 3.68% |
| Invest in science, technology, and math education | 9.21% | 11.24% | 13.48% | 8.31% | 17.98% | 11.24% | 11.91% | 8.99% | 5.84% | 1.80% |
| Reduce barriers to international investment | 3.12% | 4.56% | 5.04% | 9.35% | 11.27% | 12.23% | 12.23% | 16.55% | 17.03% | 8.63% |
| Invest in New Zealanders' wellbeing | 9.34% | 7.97% | 10.48% | 10.25% | 9.11% | 13.21% | 12.30% | 9.57% | 13.67% | 4.10% |
Question 9
In light of the Government's recent rejection of a Capital Gains Tax, do you expect tax changes to be introduced in the next 12 months that will:
| Increase taxes | 62.79% |
|---|---|
| No change to taxes | 33.47% |
| Reduce taxes | 3.74% |
Question 10
Do you support a higher top income band for very high earners?
| Yes - Over $200,000 | 32.20% |
|---|---|
| Yes - Over $150,000 | 20.83% |
| No | 40.72% |
| Unsure | 6.25% |
Question 11 and 13
How has your business performance changed over the last 12 months? How is your business performance likely to change over the next 12 months?
| Last 12 months | Next 12 months | |
|---|---|---|
| Improve significantly | 13.30% | 11.06% |
| Improve | 13.54% | 23.34 |
| Stayed the same | 43.23% | 39.56% |
| Worsen | 18.05% | 13.76% |
| Worsen significantly | 11.88% | 12.29% |
Question 12 and 14
How has the number of employees in your business changed over the last 12 months? How is the number of employees in your business likely to change over the next 12 months?
| Last 12 months | Next 12 months | |
|---|---|---|
| Increase | 21.37% | 19.20% |
| Stay the same | 63.32% | 63.87% |
| Decrease | 15.30% | 14.93% |