In December 2019, Fintech Australia released its response to the Financial Technology and Regulatory Technology Senate inquiry. Their committee voiced concerns regarding the Government’s plan to cut $1.35B from the R&D Tax Incentive and stated that the current definition of “experiments” was impeding innovation by preventing software companies from claiming the tax offset. The submission pointed out that the R&D Tax Incentive is the primary channel used to promote local innovation, with 64% of fintechs having applied for the scheme. […]
XPED Limited had previously announced to the ASX in July 2019 that the company had received notice from AusIndustry of a finding assessing registered activities as ineligible under the requirements of the R&D Tax Incentive for the 2017/18 period, totalling approximately $1.6M. The activities in dispute were in respect of development of Internet of Things based software and hardware solutions. The July ASX Announcement included a statement that XPED Limited was committed to appealing the finding. XPED Limited have since […]
AusIndustry have circulated a link to an update on their website in respect of a revised integrity management approach, which is detailed here. This update has come following the release of an Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) report on the administration of the R&D Tax Incentive, which was critical of some aspects of the processes for compliance reviews. Key highlights from AusIndustry’s update include the following: A stated commitment to two way engagement and transparent decision making; A […]
In recent months it was reported that the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman had been conducting a review of the administration of the R&D Tax Incentive’s administration. The report has now been completed and is available here. Some key recommendations by the Ombudsman’s report include the following: “Where compliance examinations/audits are necessary, they should take place as close as possible to the first year of registration of a project. Statutory examinations by AusIndustry should not be retrospective beyond […]