The Government will make life simpler for small businesses by cutting red tape, and removing outdated regulations and laws, Enterprise and Commerce Minister Max Bradford announced today.

Panels of small business experts would be set up to test the ease of use of new and existing laws and help reduce compliance costs.

"The panels will advise the Government on the impact of proposed legislation before final Parliamentary approval," Mr Bradford said.

"Small and medium sized businesses are the powerhouse of the New Zealand economy and the Government is committed to making doing business easier.

"Every year we'll be wiping unnecessary laws and regulations off the books.

"The Government will ensure businesses have to fill in less forms so they can get on with their work, earn more and eventually hire more staff.

"Compliance costs for doctors will be the first on the list for the test panels of small business expertise. A pilot panel will be announced this month to look at where coordination and collaboration between agencies like the Health Funding Authority, Accident Insurers and Pharmac, could reduce compliance costs."

Mr Bradford said that where unnecessary compliance costs were identified, an annual Compliance Cost Reduction Bill would allow Parliament to consider amendments to a number of different Acts to reduce these costs.

"All departments will have to do a regulatory stocktake and the Government expects to reduce the number of laws on our statute books by between 12 and 25 percent over the next year.

"Sunset and review clauses will be considered for use in new laws to make sure that laws stay up-to-date.

"Simpler laws and easier access to information will be a real help for small businesses and the self-employed and give them more freedom to be innovative," Mr Bradford said.

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