The 2017-18 small business tax concessions in a digital world: small wine makers and grape growers

Whilst the Commonwealth government acknowledges the challenges to small business with the digital economy in its Small Business Digital Taskforce (2018) and the Board of Taxation (2018) review of small business tax concessions, these reviews remain a work in progress and they do not have a particular focus on the wine makers and grape growers. This paper contributes to the literature by examining the Commonwealth income tax, goods and services tax (GST), fringe benefits tax (FBT) and wine equalisation tax (WET) concessions provided to small wine makers and grape growers that help them succeed in the digital economy. Despite the high compliance taxation. costs for small business generally and the extra burden on the wine industry with the WET compliance, the paper finds very little help by way of tax concessions for small wine and grape businesses. This provides a stark contrast to the generous tax breaks of billions of dollars provided to large businesses, particularly largely foreign owned companies.