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Government Grants vs the R&D Tax Incentive – What’s the Difference?

February 23rd, 2016 government grants vs the R&D tax incentive

With three layers of government and approximately 700 business grants available, finding the specific grant that is suitable for you can be difficult. Thus, for small businesses approaching this buffet of choices, the task can be daunting.  Moreover, tax incentives are generally lumped in the category of ‘grants and incentives’, making it hard to differentiate the differences between a grant and an incentive.

Firstly, there are a number of different grants available related to innovation, each with their own philosophy and measures. A prominent option is offered by the Department of Industry and Science called the Entrepreneurs’ Infrastructure Program that may  be of importance to innovative Australian entities – in particular, the Accelerating Commercialisation (AC) grants option. The goal of an AC grants is to help with the commercialisation of entrepreneurs technology-based products.

To summarise, the AC grant provides between $50,000 and $1 million on a dollar-for-dollar matching basis. Nonetheless, this grant, as with majority of other grants, is highly competitive. Applicants who wish to apply for grant funding will need to go through a competitive merit application process.It is awarded on a discretionary basis by a committee appointed by the Innovation Australia board.

In contrast, The R&D Tax Incentive works differently in that it is not competitive. Rather, if your company is eligible, then it qualifies. In short, it is a broad-based, market-driven program that aims to boost company competitiveness, improve productivity and deliver economy-wide benefits to Australia. The R&D Tax Incentive offers a 38.5c to 43.5c tax offset for eligible activities and provides businesses with more predictable support. In addition, it improves the incentive for smaller firms to engage in R&D. Ultimately, the R&D Tax Incentive is the Australian Government’s principal measure to encourage industry investment in research and development.

If the R&D Tax Incentive is an area your company wants to explore, Contact Swanson Reed for more information on how we can advance your company’s market value and boost its bottom line through the R&D Tax Incentive.

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 Swanson Reed - Specialist R&D Tax Advisors
  
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 Swanson Reed - Specialist R&D Tax Advisors 
 
 
 Swanson Reed - Specialist R&D Tax Advisors
  
 39 Google reviews 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 Daniel McGregor 
 
 
 Daniel McGregor 
 
2022-08-11
 
 
  
 
I have been using Swanson Reed for my clients for more than a decade.  Having a specialist firm that can provide practical and commercial advice that produces real outcomes is very important and we have received great feedback from our clients.
Highly recommended.
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 John 
 
 
 John 
 
2022-06-15
 
 
  
 
Damian and the rest of the team at Swanson Reed have been supporting us for several years.  We always appreciate their insights, expertise, and efforts.
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 Rueben Rajasingam 
 
 
 Rueben Rajasingam 
 
2022-06-06
 
 
  
 
Experienced responsive Team. They have been a great help to me and my company navigate the R&D tax claim process and have provided invaluable advice.
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 Enrique Esquivel 
 
 
 Enrique Esquivel 
 
2022-06-06
 
 
  
 
Damian and the team at Swanson Reed have been extremely helpfully and professional during all of our consultations. Highly recommended.
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 Jess at Y&C 
 
 
 Jess at Y&C 
 
2022-06-03
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 Anatole Kononewsky 
 
 
 Anatole Kononewsky 
 
2022-06-02
 
 
  
 
The Swanson Reed team have provided our company with exceptional professional advice and assistance for all of our R&D claims for many years - have always achieved great results with excellent value for their services.
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 Payam Toloo 
 
 
 Payam Toloo 
 
2022-06-02
 
 
  
 
Damian Smyth and his team are very helpful, supportive and experts in their field of R&D Tax claims. I'm always happy with the work they do and been a customer of their for over 5 years.
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 Melissa Doddy 
 
 
 Melissa Doddy 
 
2022-05-31
 
 
  
 
The Team at Swanson Reed are very experienced R&D Tax Advisors and gave us ongoing support with all of our R&D Claims, the consultants ensured we were always working with current legislative guidelines, gave us assistance with compiling technical and government documentation and went out their way to ensure they were with us for the entire process from beginning to end.  Highly recommended to anyone who needs assistance with working through what can at times be a daunting process.
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 Gary Watson 
 
 
 Gary Watson 
 
2022-05-31
 
 
  
 
We can highly recommend Swanson and Reed as an R & D accountant. We have worked with them for several years now as they make our R & D claim so easy and communicate quickly with both us and our accountant.
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 Rob van den Bergh 
 
 
 Rob van den Bergh 
 
2022-05-31
 
 
  
 
Always professional.