2025 Federal Budget: Key Impacts on Businesses

The federal budget 2025-26 was announced a few days back, and the commercial sector has been scra

...

mbling ever since to understand its impact and imp...

2025 Federal Budget: Key Impacts on Businesses
Lucas Nguyen Image
Lucas Nguyen
Updated: Tuesday 1st of April 2025
Evaluation

The federal budget 2025-26 was announced a few days back, and the commercial sector has been scrambling ever since to understand its impact and implications. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has announced some positive changes to help propel the economy despite global uncertainties due to the tariff war raised by US President Donald Trump. With inflation stabilising and wages rising for Australians, the Government intends to bring more relief to individuals and businesses. With consumer confidence rising, small entities can expect to witness a period of increased spending.

The pre-election budget has been devised to improve the cost of living and create a stronger economy with new tax cuts and energy bill relief. Some of the promising offers for small and medium-sized businesses include energy efficiency grants for energy upgrades and making investment easier. These will create the perfect environment for acquiring business opportunities in Gold Coast and other busy commercial markets. Let us help you understand the impact of the federal budget 2025 on businesses in a detailed manner with the points below.

1. Energy Relief Bill for Small Businesses

Small businesses have to bear several expenses that pinch them significantly because of rising costs and inflation. One such expense is the energy bill, which can become overwhelming to manage with other operational costs. The Government understands small business owners' predicament and has offered some respite by increasing the energy bill relief until 2025. It will enable close to 1 million small entities to get up to $150 rebates directly off their bills.

In addition, these businesses can take advantage of the Energy Efficiency Grants for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises program to make upgrades that reduce energy consumption. These grants will help more than 24,000 businesses through $56.7 million in funding. Another important budget announcement has been the pause of indexation on draught beer excise for two years beginning in August 2025 to support hospitality-based businesses.

2. Increased Spending Through Tax Cuts

Tax cuts have been announced for every taxpayer in Australia that will come into effect from July 2026. These include reducing the 16% rate to 15% in 2026 and another one percent from July 2027. It will ensure that consumers will have more cash to spend and it will help small businesses to sell more of their products and services. The tax cuts will benefit 1.5 million sole traders who will be able to invest in expansion and development of their entities.

Individuals looking for businesses for sale Gold Coast can benefit from better after-tax returns on investment, which will boost profits. They can enjoy quick growth through positive consumer sentiment and increased spending. In addition, tax cuts will increase labour force participation, which will help businesses expand their staff and increase reach.

3. Focus on Fair Trading Practices

Large entities can overshadow small businesses because of their financial capabilities and ability to control the market. The Federal Government has decided to end this disparity by creating an equitable space for all players in the marketplace by protecting fair trading practices. The steps involve strengthening the enforcement of the Franchising Code of Conduct with the help of a support of $7.1 million over two years.

The Government will spend $38.8 million to help ACCC investigate misleading pricing and unconscionable conduct. It also intends to ban debit card surcharges to help small businesses. The Federal Government will work with state and territory governments to eliminate unfair trading practices and penalise businesses that do not provide a remedy for breaching consumer guarantees.

4. Ban on Non-Compete Clauses

The budget announcement included the plan to ban non-compete clauses for employees earning less than $175,000 annually. It will impact most workers who are looking for better jobs or a business for sale to become entrepreneurs. It has been initiated to improve the problems in the competition law that allowed businesses to stop workers from being recruited by competitors or put a limit on their payments.

The move is targeted at helping individuals earn more by opting for better jobs and entrepreneurial roles. It will help increase wages and employee productivity while enhancing economic activity through rising consumer confidence. However, it can also make small businesses struggle to find talent because of better offers from competitors.

5. Small Business Support Measures

The budget has paved the way for small business growth through various initiatives that will continue. For example, the Industry Growth Program will help start-ups, and the Social Enterprise Loan Fund will be for social entities. In addition, to initiate faster payments, government business enterprises will have to pay the contractors and subcontractors within 20 days of completion of the construction work.

The government will also support First Nations businesses by investing $23.9 million in the Indigenous Procurement Policy and initiating a $3.4 million investment to set up a place‑based business mentoring and coaching program for First Nations businesswomen and entrepreneurs.

6. Cyber Security Assistance

Small businesses are operating under the threat of cyber attacks, which are increasing daily. The Federal Government will continue to provide support to small businesses to enhance their cyber security levels and digital capabilities and stay protected from data loss. They will find programs, including Cyber Wardens, that offer free online training to entrepreneurs and their staff members.

Others include the Cyber Health Check, which is often used by individuals looking for a Gold Coast business for sale to evaluate an entity's cyber security level. Entrepreneurs can also take advantage of the Small Business Cyber Resilience Service, which offers support during a cyber attack or threat.

7. Future Investments For Development

Businesses will also benefit from other investments announced in the budget, such as the $17.1 billion over ten years for infrastructure development in cities, regions, and communities. The Government will also emphasise buying Australian-made products by pouring $20 million into the Buy Australian Campaign.

It will support trade through an offering of $16 million for a new Australia–India Trade and Investment Accelerator Fund. In addition, the Australian Taxation Office will be given $155.5 million to expand the Shadow Economy Compliance Program to improve compliance. With so many benefits offered by the Government, it is an opportune time for individuals planning to buy a business for sale in Gold Coast to take the plunge and leverage the support and grants.

Wrapping Up

The 2025 federal budget has brought good news for small business owners, with several support offers and programs that will help build a favourable ecosystem. It is a positive move for the industry, with signs of progress in sight and a thriving future ahead.

Author Info
Lucas Nguyen

Lucas Nguyen is an immigration expert with loads of experience of working in public sector and as an in-house lawyer. Lucas graduated with a Bachelor of Law and Master of Law in Global Business Law from La Trobe University. His sole aim is to provide best legal services, to his clients, on complex Australian Immigration Laws and commercial transactions. His association with Business2Sell is not new, and we welcome him as our guest author.

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