LNP will be better for business: Newman

A Liberal National Party government would reduce payroll tax, cut red tape and fight the carbon tax "to the death knell".

LNP leader Campbell Newman on Monday addressed the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland as it launched a business wish list for the next state government.

The chamber surveyed 1000 businesses in January and compiled three priorities - better fiscal management, and reductions in government costs and red tape.

It says the number of pages of red-tape business is required to comply with has grown by more than 30 per cent in three years, to more than 92,000.

That compliance, it says, costs Queensland businesses and the economy more than $7 billion a year.

The chamber also called for a return to budget surplus as soon as possible, the appointment of a minister for regulatory reform and an audit of regulation.

It also wants the federal government lobbied to scrap the carbon tax and exempt small- and medium-sized businesses from unfair-dismissal laws.

Chamber president David Goodwin said Queensland had gone from the envy of the national to poor cousin under Labor.

"It was a place where people came to make their fortune and seek their destiny ... you couldn't say that now," he told reporters on Monday.

"The rate of taxation increase has been phenomenal.

"We are no longer the low-tax state, we are no longer the low-regulation state and we've lost a lot of the shiny gloss that we should have had."

Mr Newman's address reaffirmed his promise to lower unemployment to four per cent in six years and to reinstate the $7000 stamp duty concession.

He also says he'll consider appointing a minister of regulation reform.

Although he said he would love to scrap the payroll tax, the budget position may limit how far he could go.

"We'd love to see it gone ... we are prepared to look at how we can deal with it," Mr Newman said.

Mr Newman also said he would fight the carbon tax "to the death knell" and did not rule out ganging up with the conservative states NSW and Victoria to take on the federal government.

"There are things we can do potentially down the track but I'm not showing my hand here today," he said.

Deputy Premier and Treasurer Andrew Fraser did not address the chamber's function.

Labor plans to get the budget back to surplus in 2014/15, a year ahead of schedule, and is challenging the LNP to announce its schedule.

Mr Fraser warned voters Mr Newman was shaping up to bring back Work Choices-style laws, which would allow businesses to sack people unfairly.

He also warned business not to take Mr Newman at his word, and stood by Labor's track record on the economy.

Queensland had a strong pro-business environment, with the chamber's own report showing taxation had decreased as a proportion of the economy in recent years, he said.

"Campbell Newman has a well-earned reputation for talking a lot, without really saying anything," Mr Fraser said.

Katter's Australian Party (KAP) said it will slash payroll tax if the party gains power.

Queensland leader Aidan McLindon said the threshold for businesses paying the tax would be raised from $1 million to $2 million under a KAP government.

Mr McLindon accused the LNP and Labor of ignoring small businesses.

"The ALP and LNP claim to be advocates of small business when in political reality they have been wining and dining with the top end of town for far too long," he said.