Edited version of private advice

Authorisation Number: 1051735134554

Date of advice: 06 August 2020

Ruling

Subject: Early stage innovation company eligibility

Question

Does the Company satisfy the criteria of an Early Stage Innovation Company (ESIC) pursuant to section 360-40 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997)?

Answer

Yes.

This ruling applies for the following period:

1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020

The scheme commenced on:

1 July 2019

Relevant facts and circumstances

1.      The Company is a proprietary limited company incorporated and registered in the Australian Business Register.

2.      The Company has subsidiaries.

3.      The Company is not listed on any stock exchange.

4.      The Company has prior year expenses of less than $1 million.

5.      The Company has prior year income of less than $200,000.

6.      The Company is developing a unique product that is reusable across multiple and different markets.

7.      The Product is a fully integrated, end-to-end platform that does not exist anywhere in the market and is not being created by any other competitor.

8.      The Product will initially be rolled out in Australia and then replicated for the international market.

9.      The Product introduces new innovations that improve the present experience.

10.   The features and functionalities of the Product are unique and significantly differ from your competitors.

11.   The functionalities that occur in different organisations are all provided for by the Product.

12.   You have developed a prototype to resolve issues identified by your users.

13.   Your primary addressable market is local but can be marketed globally to address the needs of overseas markets.

Information Provided

14.   You have provided the following documents:

·         Private Binding Ruling Application

·         Email Responses to further questions

Relevant legislative provisions

Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Subdivision 360-A

Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 section 360-15

Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 section 360-40

Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 section 360-45

Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 section 360-40(1)(e)(i-v)

Reasons for decision

Qualifying Early Stage Innovation Company

15.   All legislative references are to the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997) unless otherwise stated.

Summary

16.   'The Company' meets the eligibility requirements of an ESIC under, subsection 360-40(1).

Detailed reasoning

Qualifying Early Stage Innovation Company

17.   Subsection 360-40(1) outlines the criteria required for a company to qualify as an Early Stage Innovation Company (ESIC) at a particular time in an income year. This time is referred to as the test time. The criteria are based on a series of tests to identify if the company is at an early stage of its development and it is developing new or significantly improved innovations to generate an economic return.

The Early Stage Test

18.   The Early Stage Test requirements are outlined in detail within paragraphs 360-40(1)(a) to (d).

Incorporation or Registration - paragraph 360-40(1)(a)

19.   To meet the requirement in paragraph 360-40(1)(a), at a particular time (the test time) in an income year (the current year), the company must have been either:

i.    incorporated in Australia within the last three income years (the latest being the current year); or

ii.   incorporated in Australia within the last six income years (the latest being the current year), and across the last three of those income years before the current year the company and its 100% subsidiaries incurred total expenses of $1 million or less; or

iii.  registered in the Australian Business Register (ABR) within the last three income years (the latest being the current year).

20.   The term 'current year' is defined in subsection 360-40(1) with reference to the 'test time'; the 'current year' being the income year in which the company issues shares to the investor.

21.   A company that does not meet any of these conditions will not qualify as an ESIC.

Total expenses - paragraph 360-40(1)(b)

22.   To meet the requirement in paragraph 360-40(1)(b), the company and its 100% subsidiaries must have incurred total expenses of $1 million or less in the income year before the current year.

Assessable income - paragraph 360-40(1)(c)

23.   To meet the requirement in paragraph 360-40(1)(c), the company and its 100% subsidiaries must have derived total assessable income of $200,000 or less in the income year before the current year.

No stock exchange listing - paragraph 360-40(1)(d)

24.   To meet the requirement in paragraph 360-40(1)(d), the company must not be listed on any stock exchange in Australia or a foreign country.

Innovation tests

25.   If the company satisfies the early stage test, the company must also satisfy one of two innovation tests: the objective 100 point Test or the Principles-based Test.

'100-Point Test' - paragraph 360-40(1)(e) and section 360-45

26.   To satisfy the 100 point Test the company must obtain at least 100 points by meeting the innovation criteria in the table within section 360-45. The criteria are tested at a time immediately after the relevant shares are issued. If a company satisfies this test it does not need to satisfy the principles-based test.

'Principles-Based Test' - subparagraphs 360-40(1)(e)(i) to (v)

27.   To satisfy the Principles-based Test, the company must meet five requirements in paragraph 360-40(1)(e). This is tested at a time immediately after the relevant new shares are issued to the investor.

28.   The company can demonstrate that it meets each requirement through existing documentation such as a business plan, commercialisation strategy, competition analysis or other company documents. The company must be able to show that tangible steps have been or will be taken in relation to each of the requirements.

29.   The five requirements of the principles-based test, as outlined in paragraph 360-40(1)(e) are:

i.    the company must be genuinely focused on developing one or more new or significantly improved innovations for commercialisation

ii.   the business relating to that innovation must have a high growth potential

iii.  the company must demonstrate that it has the potential to be able to successfully scale up the business relating to the innovation

iv.  the company must demonstrate that it has the potential to be able to address a broader than local market, including global markets, through that business, and

v.   the company must demonstrate that it has the potential to be able to have competitive advantages for that business.

Developing new or significantly improved innovations for commercialisation

30.   For the purposes of Subdivision 360-A, the Explanatory Memorandum to the Tax Laws Amendment (Tax Incentives for Innovation) Bill 2016 ('EM') provides the following at paragraph 1.76 in relation to the definition of innovation:

"Implicit in the definition of innovation is the requirement that the company is developing a new or significantly improved type of innovation such as a product, process, service, marketing or organisational method. This list of various types of innovations provides flexibility for innovation companies and is adaptable to current and future innovations. The Oslo Manual, published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) provides a description of these different types of innovations..."

31.   The innovation being developed by the company must either be new or significantly improved for an applicable addressable market. The company's addressable market is the revenue opportunity or market demand arising from the innovation or the related business. The addressable market must be objective and realistic.

32.   Improvements must be significant in nature to meet this requirement. Significant is defined in the online Macquarie Dictionary as 'important; of consequence'. Customising existing products or minor changes resulting from software updates, pricing strategies or seasonal changes are examples of improvements that would not be considered significant.

33.   The OECD Oslo Manual, in relation to defining innovative services, states at paragraph 161 that 'innovations in services can include significant improvements in how they are provided (for example, in terms of their efficiency or speed), the addition of new functions or characteristics to existing services, or the introduction of entirely new services'.

34.   The company must be genuinely focussed on developing the innovation for a commercial purpose in order to generate economic value and revenue for the company. This requirement draws the distinction between simply having an idea and commercialising an idea.

35.   For a company to qualify as an ESIC under the Principles-Based Test, the company must be 'genuinely focussed on developing for commercialisation' their innovation. That is, the central activities of the company must be truly concentrated on developing their innovation for a commercial purpose. 'Commercialisation' includes a range of activities that involve the implementation or sale of a new or significantly improved innovation that will directly lead to the generation of economic value for the company.

High growth potential

36.   The company must be able to demonstrate that the business relating to the innovation has a high growth potential within a broad addressable market. This refers to the company's ability to rapidly expand its business. Companies that are limited to supplying local customers will not meet this requirement.

Scalability

37.   The company must be able to demonstrate that it has the potential to successfully scale up the business relating to the innovation. The company must have operating leverage, whereby it increases its market share or enters into new markets and its existing revenues can be multiplied with a reduced or minimal increase in operating costs.

Broader than local market

38.   The company must be able to demonstrate that it has the potential to address a market that is broader than a local city, area or region. The company does not need to have a serviceable market at a national, multinational or global scale at the test time. However, it does need to show that the business is capable of addressing a market that is broader than a local market and that the business can be adapted to a broader scale in the future.

Competitive advantages

39.   The company must be able to demonstrate that it has the potential to have competitive advantages, such as a cost or differential advantage over its competitors which are sustainable for the business as it expands. The company can analyse what competitors in the market offer and consider whether the company has a differentiating advantage that would allow it to outperform these competitors.

Application to your circumstances

Test time

40.   For the purposes of this ruling, the test time for determining if your Company is a qualifying ESIC will be a particular date during the income year ending 30 June 2020.

Current year

41.   For the purposes of subsection 360-40(1), the current year will be the year ending 30 June 2020 (the 2020 income year). For clarity, in relation to particular requirements within subsection 360-40(1), the last 3 income years will include the years ending 30 June 2020, 2019 and 2018.

Early Stage Test

Incorporation or Registration - paragraph 360-40(1)(a)

42.   Your Company was incorporated in 2018, which is within the last 3 income years. Therefore, subparagraph 360-40(1)(a)(i) is satisfied.

Total expenses - paragraph 360-40(1)(b)

43.   In applying the requirements of paragraph 360-40(1)(b), the Company and any of its 100% subsidiaries must have incurred total expenses of $1 million or less in the 2019 income year which is the income year before the current year.

44.   The Company and its subsidiaries incurred expenses of less than $1 million in the 2019 income year. Therefore, paragraph 360-40(1)(b) is satisfied.

Assessable income - paragraph 360-40(1)(c)

45.   In applying the requirements of paragraph 360-40(1)(c), the Company and any of its 100% subsidiaries must have derived total assessable income of $200,000 or less in the income year before the current year.

46.   The Company and its subsidiaries earned assessable income of less than $200,000 in the 2019 income year. Therefore, paragraph 360-40(1)(c) is satisfied.

No stock exchange listing - paragraph 360-40(1)(d)

47.   The Company must not be listed on any Stock Exchange in Australia or a foreign country at the test time.

48.   As the Company is not listed on any stock exchange in Australia or a foreign country, subparagraph 360-40(1)(d) is satisfied.

Conclusion on Early Stage Test

49.   The Company satisfies the Early Stage Test for the 2020 income year as each of the requirements within paragraphs 360-40(1)(a) to (d) have been satisfied.

The 100-Point Test

50.   The Company has not provided sufficient evidence of satisfying the 100-point test under section 360-45 for the year ending 30 June 2020. For the Company to be a qualifying ESIC, it will need to satisfy the Principles-based Test.

Principles-based Test

Developing new or significantly improved innovations for commercialisation - subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(i)

51.   In applying the requirements of subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(i), the Company must be developing an innovation which is either new or significantly improved for an applicable addressable market.

52.   The Company undertook research into the needs of its users.

53.   The Company began developing a prototype to resolve issues identified by your users.

54.   The Company plans to expand its Product locally and globally.

55.   The Company's clientele of the Product will be charged a fee for its usage.

56.   The Company has already taken steps to promote the Product to interested parties with the intention to commercialise the Product.

57.   The Company has shown potential in developing an innovation which is either new or significantly improved. Therefore, it has satisfied subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(i).

High Growth Potential - subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(ii)

58.   In applying the requirements of subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(ii), AAE must be developing an innovation that has a high growth potential.

59.   The Company conducted market research identifying the main addressable target market and potential available revenue streams.

60.   The Company has identified its users in Australia.

61.   The Company has the potential to extend its Product to other areas.

62.   The Product is not limited to Australia but can be marketed globally to address the needs of that market. The global potential for the Product is significant and represents high growth potential.

63.   The Company's founders have extensive experience within the industry and are equipped to increase the growth potential of the Product.

64.   The Company has demonstrated that it has high growth potential with its product both in Australia and overseas. Therefore, subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(ii) is satisfied.

Scalability - subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(iii)

65.   In applying the requirements of subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(iii), AAE must demonstrate that it has the potential to successfully scale up the business.

66.   The Product is scalable as the marginal cost of every additional user is low.

67.   Once the initial programming is completed, any subsequent iterations to the platform can be easily implemented onboarding new users and accounting for increased revenue streams.

68.   The Company's financial forecasts is expected to increase dramatically in one year.

69.   The Company can generate increased revenue disproportionately to its relatively fixed operating costs allowing it to successfully leverage scaling up the business. The operating leverage is expected to be greater in coming years.

70.   The Company has demonstrated that it has the potential to scale up its business. Therefore, subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(iii) is satisfied.

Broader than Local Market - subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(iv)

71.   In applying the requirements of subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(iv), you must demonstrate you have the potential to be able to address a broader than local market including global markets through that business.

72.   The Company's current addressable market is the Australian market which is broader than the local market.

73.   The Product being developed will be able to be modified and adapted to address other markets in Australia. The Product can be adapted to meet the needs of users in those markets.

74.   The Company can further develop the Product to address overseas markets.

75.   The Company has demonstrated the potential to address a broader than local market. Therefore, subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(iv) is satisfied.

Competitive Advantages - subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(iv)

76.   In applying the requirements of subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(v), you must demonstrate that you have the potential to have competitive advantages in the business.

77.   The Company conducted an analysis of the products currently available by in the market. The functionalities offered by the Company's Product are unique and differ significantly from its competitors.

78.   The Product being developed by the Company will provide all the features of its competitors and many more not currently being provided by its competitors.

79.   The Company has no direct competitor in the Australian market and has demonstrated that its Product has competitive advantages within its market. Therefore, subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(v) is satisfied.

Conclusion on Principles-Based Test

80.   The Company satisfies the Principles-based Test as it has satisfied the requirements within subparagraphs 360-40(1)(e)(i) to (v) for the period commencing 1 July 2019 till 30 June 2020.

Conclusion

81.   The Company meets the eligibility criteria of an ESIC under section 360-40 for the period commencing 1 July 2019 till 30 June 2020 or the date when their service has been fully developed and is ready for client use, whichever occurs earlier.