1. SHOP LOCALLY
What happens when we shop locally?
•We help local business to hopefully make a profit and stay in business
•We help business employees to maintain their employment, they in turn will spend their earnings and increase the commercial cycle (food, rent, electricity, car expenses, fuel, education, entertainment, mortgages, etc.)
•We help the owner of the premises, the landlord, to have an income and an investment so he/she can continue to invest in our city and they in turn will spend their money (real estate agents, tradies, finance institutions, food, rent, electricity, car expenses, fuel, education, entertainment, mortgages.)
•We help all the suppliers of the business (stationery suppliers, couriers, accountants, mechanics, tradies, food, rent, electricity, car expense, education, fuel, entertainment, mortgages, etc.)
•We will help the apprentices, trainees, first-time employed to complete their time and become tradies or have a career.
•We will help local charitable organisations, as local businesses are the major contributors to them.
•You can buy it where you try it.
•You will be able to purchase locally made products.
•Product knowledge and advice.
•Multiplier effect – the whole community benefits from it. Money stays local.
•Profitable businesses employ more people. More employed people lessens crime committed in our area.
2. THE COFFS HARBOUR BYPASS
This is a great concern to us at the Chamber of Commerce because on December 18 the Macksville Bypass will be opened.
So, we will become the next bottleneck.
We are experiencing traffic congestion now – what will it be then?
So on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, I would like to ask our State Member, Andrew Fraser, our Minister for Roads, Maritime & Freight, Melinda Pavey, and our Federal Member for Cowper, Luke Hartsuyker what, as a business community, we need to do to get the Coffs Harbour Bypass approved.
3. BETTER SERVICE AND FRIENDLY TOWN
We are known as an unfriendly and poor-service city.
Please remember that every time we give poor or unfriendly service, not only your business loses future patronage from that person and all the others that they have told, but also if the unhappy customer is a visitor, we as a community miss out on their and their friend’s patronage.
Let’s turn this perception around. Smile, be friendly, be nice and be helpful. Be part of making our city the best regional city in Australia.
4. PAYROLL TAX
The Coffs Harbour Chamber of Commerce has been lobbying the State Government for an increase in the payroll tax threshold, or better still, abolishing it all together.
It was a great pleasure to hear the NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro, at a breakfast presentation, comment that payroll tax will be a central topic in the next State Government Budget.
5. MERRY CHRISTMAS
Above all, to all our members and the business community at large, have a Merry Christmas and a very prosperous new year.
George Cecato