Business concerns about budget cuts

Before the article, I'm reminded what Tone's budget has succeeded in doing to consumer confidence in Australia:

Well as expected, now retailers are concerned that the amount of cuts suggested in the budget would have an impact on their sales (no shit Sherlock):

MORE than half of Australia's businesses are worried about the fallout from the federal government's tough budget will have on them. 

Nearly 60 per cent of businesses surveyed by Dun & Bradstreet expressed concern about the budget. 

Retailers are bracing themselves for a tough September quarter, with expectations of falling profits following the steep spending cuts announced in last month's budget. 

A quarter of retailers expect a fall in earnings, pulling the sector's profits index into negative territory for the first time in two years. 

"The fall in expected earnings for retailers is reflective of the mood among consumers, which has dropped significantly following the release of the budget," the head of Dun & Bradstreet's Australasian operations Gareth Jones said on Tuesday. 

"Combined with soft wages growth, and signs from D&B's consumer financial stress index that individuals are finding conditions more difficult, it's unsurprising that many businesses expect to see spending levels fall away." more

Get ready for disaster folks. I have been wondering about the impact of the gov taking $bazillions out of the economy and firing untold public servants. My assumption would be that it'd grind the economy to a halt. Not rocket science. How do you expect people to spend if you're telling them you want to take money off them? Or firing them? Or threatening them to survive on nothing for 6 months? Or threatening pensioners to pay 300% more for Medicare? Or threatening to cut people's penalty rates? And on and on.......  You can't keep an economy going by fucking the consumers.