To All My Valued Employees,

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of
this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy
has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the
good news is this: The economy doesn’t pose a threat to your job. What
does threaten your job; however, is the changing political landscape in
this country.

However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help
you decide what is in your best interests.

First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against
employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is
a back story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by
what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Subaru Outback outside.
You’ve seen my big home at last year’s Christmas party. I’m sure all
these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealised thoughts about my
life.

However, what you don’t see is the back story.

I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 2
bedroom flat for 3 years. My entire living area was converted into an
office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which
by the way, would eventually employ you.

My diet consisted of baked beans, stew and soup because every dollar I
spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a
wonky transmission. I didn’t have time to go out with women. Often
times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and
partying. In fact, I was married to my business — hard work,
discipline, and sacrifice.

Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a
modest $50,000 a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove
flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer
clothes. Instead of hitting David Jones for the latest hot fashion
item, I was trolling through the discount stores extracting any clothing
item that didn’t look like it was birthed in the 70’s. My friends
refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I,
however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business
with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford
these luxuries my friends supposedly had.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in
at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don’t. There is no “off” button
for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend
all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, and
breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is
no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached
to my hip like a 1 year old special-needs child. You, of course, only
see the fruits of that garden — the nice house, the Subaru, the
vacations… you never realise the back story and the sacrifices I’ve made.

Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy who made all the right
decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who
didn’t. The people that overspent their pay suddenly feel entitled to
the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life
for.

Yes, business ownership has its benefits but the price I’ve paid is
steep and not without wounds.

Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is
starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell
you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don’t pay enough.
I have State taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes.
Payroll taxes. Workers compensation. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes.
I have to hire an accountant to manage all these
taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him.
Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes
with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a cheque to
the Australian tax Office for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know
what my “stimulus” cheque was? Zero. Zip. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy
who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000
people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother
sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her
next welfare cheque? Obviously, government feels the latter is the
economic stimulus of this country.

The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your pay you’d quit and
you wouldn’t work here. I mean, why should you? That’s nuts. Who wants
to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why
your job is in jeopardy.

Here is what many of you don’t understand … to stimulate the economy
you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had the government suddenly
mandated to me that I didn’t need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of
depositing that $288,000 into the Canberra black-hole, I would have
spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic
growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in
the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don’t
defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to
life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the
heart of Australia and always has been. To restart it, you must
stimulate it, not kill it. But the power brokers in Canberra believe the
poor of Australia are the essential drivers of the Australian economic
engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is
the type of change you can keep.

So where am I going with all this?

It’s quite simple.

If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be
swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead
with the government to pay for your mortgage, your 4WD and your child’s
future. Frankly, it isn’t my problem any more.

Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and
retire. You see, I’m done. I’m done with a country that penalises the
productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to
provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

So, if you lose your job, it won’t be at the hands of the economy; it
will be at the hands of politicians who swept through this country and
changed its financial landscape forever. If that happens, you can find
me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about….

Signed,

Your boss

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