Matrix 2. Tyrant 2.
Founders escaped Matrix 1 — the 9-to-5 rat race that promised freedom and delivered a treadmill. We mortgaged houses, skipped salaries, lost weekends, lost relationships, and built something out of nothing. Now Matrix 2 arrives: a tax regime designed to make it impossible to actually keep what you've built.
What's actually changing
- The 50% CGT discount on assets held over 12 months — removed for business sales.
- A new minimum 30% tax applied to the entire gain, regardless of income or holding period.
- Effective rates of up to 47% when stacked with marginal income tax.
- No transitional relief for businesses founded before the legislation. The years of work already done count for nothing.
Why it's outrageous
A founder who builds a business over 15 years takes all the risk. They put in capital, energy, lost income, and personal guarantees. The government provides… nothing. No salary protection if it fails. No bailout. No equity. No advice. No co-signed loan. Yet now the government wants to be treated as a 47% shareholder at exit — a silent partner who showed up on the last day and asked for half.
We already pay GST on every sale. Corporate tax on every profit. Income tax on every dollar we draw. Payroll tax on every person we employ. Stamp duty when we buy. Land tax when we hold. And now this.
What we're asking for
- A full CGT exemption for the sale of small and medium businesses built by their founders.
- At minimum, the immediate reversal of the proposed legislation and restoration of the existing CGT discount.
- Transitional protection for any business founded before the legislation date.
What you can do
- → Sign the petition — the loudest signal we can send.
- → Share your story — put a real face and a real business on this fight.
- Talk about it. Post it. Tag founders. Tag MPs.