With a federal election due over the coming months, the opposition labor party have made some announcements with respect to their policy on the R&D Tax incentive. The original R&D tax incentive legislation was enacted whilst the labor was in power. Labor have committed to maintain the R&D tax incentive as the primary lever to induce business R&D. Labor have indicated they would look to incorporate the collaboration premium within the R&D tax incentive for expenditure on activities undertaken in […]
StartupAUS, Australia’s national startup advocacy group has released a report titled Crossroads – Fifth Anniversary edition. Data from the company has found that almost 90 percent of startups rate the R&D tax incentive as “very important” or “critical” to their business’s success. Within the report, they have called for greater assurance for software companies accessing the R&D Tax Incentive, and put forward proposals including: A moratorium on audits for software claims; A legislative amendment to the R&D Tax Incentive, or […]
Reports have emerged in the media recently of software development companies that have been subject to adverse R&D Tax Compliance proceedings. Whilst the benefits available under the R&D Tax Incentive are significant, these reports affirm the need to ensure R&D claims are completed with diligence, and in accordance with the current reporting expectations. Recent publications from ATO and AusIndustry on software development activities have highlighted current regulatory compliance focuses, which include the need to: Detail the specific hypothesis, or central […]
The Government announced on 8 May 2018 that the Research and Development Tax Incentive (R&DTI) would be reformed and that changes would apply from 1 July 2018. Draft legislation has been released regarding amendments to the R&DTI. Stakeholder feedback is encouraged and responses can be submitted until 26 July 2018. Changes to the Bill include: Increasing the R&D expenditure threshold from $100 to $150 million; Introducing a $4 million cap on annual cash refunds (the cap excludes clinical trials). Refunds over […]