Let’s boldly go where too few have gone before.

Beyond the known frontiers, in what might be accurately described as the Deep Space of UK tax legislation and practice; if you’re the captain of a small to medium sized enterprise and you don’t fully understand exactly what’s out there, it can be difficult to know how to chart a course through the all the rules and regulations.

You may already have a good grounding in the impact of such things as Corporation Tax and VAT and, with a reliable accountant on board, may be coping quite adequately with the rigours of financial management.

However, are you ready to boldly go where far too few have ventured before?

 

Unexplored territories can offer wonderful opportunities

We’ve been there and we’ve seen the opportunities available.

Uncertainty surrounding many of the finer points of UK tax legislation is commonplace, especially among SME’s. This shouldn’t induce any sense of guilt or inadequacy and it’s a very relevant comparison to equate an examination of its less well trodden paths with some sort of adventure in Outer Space.

Alien-sounding, previously unheard descriptions of shadowy beings such as Technology Tax Reliefs, Video Games Tax Relief, and Patent Box, albeit they sound friendly and of one and the same species, may well send shivers down the spine.

That’s the time to call on your inner Spock, set aside your misgivings and look at things more logically. Maybe discovering more could serve you well and even help grow your business.

At Cooden Tax Consulting we’ve already explored those distant territories. We enjoyed ourselves so much we delved deeper and deeper and developed a wealth of knowledge and understanding that has helped us to become one of the UK’s more experienced specialist advisors in the field of R&D Tax Relief.

It is a complex landscape but, gathered under various schemes are many genuine opportunities to obtain a tax rebate that could significantly boost cash flow to your business. We can help to identify what’s going to work best for you, but for now let’s take a brief look at some of the essentials and identify some options that might surprise you.

 

Will your exploration be rewarded?

Every potential valid application for Research and Development Tax Relief can’t be addressed here, but that simply demonstrates the breadth of the opportunity available. The basic eligibility criteria are as follows:

It is a pre-requisite that you are a Limited Company liable to pay Corporation Tax and either conducting research and development in house or in partnership with an external provider. The following types of innovation or improvement would usually meet the qualifying criteria for submitting an application.

• Software or App development
• New and unique product development
• Incremental product development
• Product performance improvement
• Process improvement

It’s also important to understand that, whilst relief is more obviously targeted at businesses in the Science and Technology Sector, this is absolutely not an exclusive club. Among others, Cooden Tax Consulting has identified opportunities and previously assisted businesses in Brewing, Engineering & Insurance to successfully obtain a tax rebate under the R&D criteria, as follows:

• Brewing – we work with two companies in the same group who have carried out ground-breaking research in to adapting processes to improve Hop yields and in to the pharmaceutical benefits of Hops.
• Engineering – we work with a company that is continually developing new models and accessories, as well as specialist software to facilitate the operation of their electric trials motorbikes for children.
• Insurance – we worked with a claims handling company who developed an App to reduce the amount of time taken to process a claim.
• The same Insurance Company are also involved in what’s known as a Knowledge Transfer Partnership, working together with an external partner, (in this case – a University) on a 3D Printing project.

We know this territory well. We have dealt with the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of engaging with the sometimes very alien concepts of R&D Tax Relief. The rewards for our clients are invariably worth the effort.

Let us help to steer your ship in the right direction to discover and recover sometimes substantial cash rebates that can both boost your business and potentially give you the edge over those Klingons competing in your market space.

Cooden Tax Consulting is a Niche Tax Consultancy specialising in R&D Tax Credits, R&D Tax Relief, Patent Box and Video Games Tax Relief. We offer a free no obligation consultation to determine whether any projects might be eligible, to explain our services in more detail and discover how our expertise can best serve your business. Please call us on 01424 225345 and ask to speak to Simon or e-mail simon@coodentaxconsulting.co.uk