NZL R&D Tax Incentive
The Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment recently announced details of the NZL Research and development tax incentive.
The Taxation (Research and Development Tax Credits) Act 2019 passed into law in early May 2019. The R&D Tax Incentive will apply to eligible R&D activities conducted by businesses during the 2019/2020 tax year.
The main features of the R&D tax incentive include:
- a credit rate of 15%
- a $120 million cap on eligible expenditure
- a minimum R&D expenditure threshold of $50,000 per year (Expenditure incurred with an approved research provider is not subject to the minimum threshold.)
- a limited form of refunds for the first year of the scheme that will mirror the R&D tax-loss cash-out scheme run by Inland Revenue. A more comprehensive policy will be in place for the second year of the scheme
- a definition of R&D that ensures the credit can be accessed more easily across all sectors, including the technology sector
- the inclusion of state-owned enterprises, industry research cooperatives, levy bodies, and minority-owned subsidiaries of select Crown entities.
More information is available on the MBIE website