This submission outlines our view in response to the Australian Federal Government’s Tax Discussion White Paper “Re:think”. Re:think contains two questions concerning innovation: Question 39: Does the R&D tax incentive encourage companies to conduct R&D activities that would otherwise not be conducted in the absence of government support? Would alternative approaches better achieve this objective and, if so, how? Question 40: What other taxation incentives, including changes to existing measures, are appropriate to encourage investment in innovation and entrepreneurship? Australia […]
At the announcement of the May 2014 budget, the Federal Government proposed to decrease the refundable and non-refundable R&D tax offsets by 1.5% for FY15. The reduction in the R&D tax offset rates was proposed to commence one year prior to the 1.5% reduction in corporate rate for FY16. Had the R&D Tax Offset rates reduced one year prior to the corporate tax rate as proposed, the permanent effective benefit of the R&D Tax Incentive would have dropped in FY15, then been […]
When it comes to science and Research and Development, other countries are hitting the accelerator while Australia is shifting into reverse. During the Prime Minister’s prizes for Science, held at Parliament House last October, Tony Abbott delivered his speech in front of Australia’s best and brightest minds and left the stage with a barely audible applause. Abbott, who had been in office for just over a year, was surprised he received some form of applause after his Government implemented drastic […]
As the 2014 G20 Leaders Summit drew to a close in November, the final statement from the nations representatives called for enhancements to Australia’s economic growth achieved through the “promotion of competition and innovation and the coordination of strategies to reduce unemployment, particularly amongst youth, through entrepreneurship”. While it may sound prospective, this theme of driving economic and job growth through entrepreneurship isn’t new. A 1979 report by Professor David Birch of MIT, titled ‘The Job Generation Process’, recommended government […]