As the cut-off for lodgement of R&D tax claims draws near, companies should now be turning their focus to the preparation and registration of their R&D tax credit claim for 2015. With higher levels of review activity and scrutiny by AusIndustry and the ATO, companies need to focus on, and be able to, reinforce and substantiate their R&D claims with suitable records and contemporaneous documentation in the event of an audit. In short, companies must keep sufficient records to validate: They conducted eligible research […]
They’re known as the Australian ‘Silicon Valley mafia’, a cabal of 20,000 talented software engineers who have relocated to Silicon Valley, the tech epicentre of the world, to follow their dreams of becoming successful entrepreneurs. But the exodus in recent years has raised concerns that Australia is losing its talent and has been left with skill shortages in the technology sector. ‘Brain Drain’, as it’s in labelled in public discourse, is the pervading fear in Australia that our best and […]
Throughout 2016, the Turnbull government has been following through on plans to boost innovation in Australia, as blueprinted in last December’s innovation statement. As we mentioned in a previous post, last month the government introduced new tax laws for start-ups and investors. Now, to further encourage innovation and growth among businesses, Australia plans to reform its loss tax rules. The Australian Treasury released a draft legislation seeking to amend the existing “same business test (SBT)” clause and to make it […]
Historically, the R&D tax incentive was formed with a key goal of making government investment for innovation more attainable to small businesses. Innovation, as a whole, impels small business to invest up front in their ideas. However, the aid of a refundable tax offset has helped to considerably alleviate the risk. In fact, the number of companies accessing R&D tax benefits from the Australian government has augmented to beyond 13,000 over the years. Over 7,000 small businesses currently apply for the program, however […]