Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I can confirm to the House that the wages bill, which is assessed based on the tax withheld, will count all the way to 30 June, both for quarterly and monthly BAS payments. Now, of course, how much a particular business will receive will depend on the size of its wages bill, and there are going to be individual circumstances, but, for a quarterly payer, the wages bill, up to and including 30 June, is relevant to how much that business will receive—that is, whether they receive the minimum of $20,000 or up to $100,000. There is an alignment of interests between the employer here and the employee. Small and medium-sized businesses are doing it tough, and they want to keep their employees on as much as possible. They also have other expenses, as the honourable member would understand. What is relevant to the assessment of how much a business will get can be all the way up to 30 June in relation to their particular BAS statements.

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