UK R&D tax reliefs are among the most effective and generous tax allowances in the world. Yet many companies, entitled to the incentive, do not claim reliefs that are due, either through a lack of awareness or because the reliefs seem complex or inappropriate to their business. But the significant increases in the value of the incentive make the R&D tax relief even more important. At the same time, the growth in HMRC powers and penalty-based tax regime highlight the importance of accurately documented claims. The third edition of this book is brought up to date with Finance Acts 2017 and 2018. In the Chancellor's November Budget Statement, there was a strong commitment to more spending on encouraging R&D activity, and also an announcement that there would be an increase in the main R&D tax credit to 12%.
The third edition is also updated to include:
- Tax case updates - recent cases that affect RD claims / reliefs
- EU departure - nothing legislative so more commentary / potential impact information
- State Aid: There has been much moving forward on State Aid with notably the Apple and Amazon tax cases. HMRC have published quite a bit on RD State Aid for UK companies which will be covered in the new edition
- Eligible costs - HMRC have updated their reimbursed expenses guidance allowing much more scope for further relief.
- As ever, technology moves on and the case studies section will be expanded to include a couple of more recent 'tech' examples perhaps in the space satellite (UK is very strong on this) and pharma industries
Practical examples and up to date tables provide a 'one stop' guide to maximising the reliefs claimed, and also help the reader understand how to implement a claim in practice, meaning this new edition provides a valuable summary of the opportunities open to innovative companies performing R&D in 2016, and their advisers.