In many countries tax incentives are a popular means of realizing political, economic and social objectives. The main motive of their application is often to achieve and accelerate the selected activities in the public interest and also stimulate development of industry, and induce growth in research and investment. The key element that helps a company achieve a competitive advantage is innovation. Global competition forces the production of unique products and services. Tax incentives in science, research and development are important in stimulating innovation. The purpose of this article is to show the level of managerial awareness about R&D tax incentives, the level of R&D tax incentive usage by companies in Poland, and main obstacles that managers meet with R&D tax incentives in practice. We explore R&D tax incentives as a government instrument on R&D management and aim to find the reasons why Polish companies do not take advantage of them. We examine 275 companies using a semi-structured questi onnaire. Our findings suggest that many firms report lack of knowledge about such incentives, and firms find many obstacles to reach all of the requirements which are necessary to use the incentive. Due to our analysis we find that large firms, especially those that implement innovation, are more likely to use the tax incentives, but small and medium sized companies find more obstacle. The effect of this tax policy is significant mainly in large, high-tech sector firms.
In many countries, tax incentives are a popular means to achieve political, economic and social objectives. Their aim is to reach and accelerate certain activities of public interest. Furthermore, one of the objectives is to accelerate the development of a certain industry and influence the growth of research and investment in foreign capital. Innovation is the key element that helps a company achieve competitive advantage. Global competition is forced to offer unique products with added values on the market. Tax incentives for research and development are an important factor of innovation. This paper aims to present the importance of research and development, as well as the role of tax incentives. States should use their fiscal policy to stimulate investment in research and development through various forms of tax relief. The Republic of Croatia applies tax incentives for research and development, but to a significantly less extent than other European Union countries.
For the state budget any tax relief means tax revenue not received. Thus, on one hand, every tax relief provides support to a definite group of tax payers; on the other hand, it makes the tax administration process more complicated and costly. Corporate income tax relief is a tool to ensure economic competitiveness, attract new investments, correct market shortcomings and achieve social goals. Often, these incentives can significantly reduce the budget revenues, in particular - in case when more and more new relief incentives are introduced. In certain circumstances, such incentives do not function as an effective instrument for achieving economic and social objectives, and the benefits acquired are not adequate to the amount of resources spent on the administration of these incentives. In geographically and numerically small countries like Latvia, the opportunities of tax element (object, subject, rates, incentives, etc.) usage as a tax instrument for the regional development are not addressed. This paper will assess the efficiency of income tax relief incentives in Latvia in the given economic conditions while taking into account their economic and social significance at the current moment and will attempt to forecast the potential impact on the business environment incentives, if tax reliefs are differentiated for different regions of the country to stimulate the disadvantaged ones. Evaluation of tax incentives has been developed in international practice and methodology. The guidelines worked out by Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (hereinafter - the OECD) and International Monetary Fund (hereinafter - the IMF) will be taken into account in this report (OECD 2010; Klemm, Van Parys 2009).
Sustainable economic growth in Poland requires a high level of innovation. At the moment, innovation in the Polish economy is low due to factors such as insufficient research and development (R&D) expenditure in the corporate sector. In 2006, tax incentives were introduced to stimulate R&D in enterprises. However, they failed to produce the expected results. The incentives enjoyed little interest among businesspeople, and in consequence failed to contribute to increased spending on R&D in the corporate sector. The paper aims to evaluate these tax incentives by using international comparisons and putting forward proposals for changes in the tax break system. The existing system was examined with the use of the B-index (“before-tax income needed to break even on one dollar of R&D spending”), a popular measure of the tax system’s influence on investment in R&D applied by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The B-index is based on the idea of a marginal effective tax rate. It measures the relative profitability of R&D expenditure in a given tax system. The analyses made by the author show that the Polish tax system has a negative impact on R&D in the corporate sector-more detrimental than suggested by the B-indexes calculated by the OECD. The results obtained lead the author to conclude that the tax regulations currently in force in Poland are among the least favorable among OECD countries in terms of their influence on R&D in the corporate sector. According to Adamczyk, the main reason behind the unfavorable influence of the Polish tax system on the profitability of R&D in the corporate sector is that the existing tax breaks apply to a limited number of taxpayers. Other causes include inadequate income tax rates and tax amortization regulations used in the country. Poland’s current tax instruments designed to support R&D, due to their highly selective nature, contradict the idea of direct fiscal incentives, Adamczyk says. He adds that the effectiveness of tax breaks may also depend on factors not covered by the B-index, such as the transparency and stability of tax regulations.
The essence of the “tax burden” is revealed in the paper. The formulas for the determination of an integral and particular tax burden for businesses, who pay taxes on the common system of taxation, are offered. Some measures of optimization of the tax burden in order to stimulate entrepreneurial activity of domestic enterprises, including local and macroeconomic optimization measures, are proposed. The tax burden on enterprise in the form of tax rates in other countries is also presented.
The paper aims to find the relationship between corporate expenditures on R&D and tax burdens comparing German with French R&D incentives. We use the OLS method for the financial and patent cross-sectional data retrieved from the Amadeus database. The results confirm that firms with higher tax spread (the difference between the nominal and effective tax rates) spend less on R&D. These are in line with findings of a positive relationship between corporate R&D investment and tax burdens. Thus, firms that invest in R&D more pay higher taxes. However, they are less profitable as the return on R&D investment is visible only in the long run. German corporate expenditures on R&D are significantly sensitive to internal funds (proxied by cash flow) and depend on debt, contrary to French. The results indicate that the French firm's age (a phase of life cycle) has a significant impact on spending on R&D compared to German. Whereas in both countries, corporate expenditures on R&D are sensitive to the number of obtained patents. The capability of reducing the level of tax burdens below the nominal tax rate in the case of older German firms stimulates them to increase their R&D expenditures. However, German firms can decrease tax due to the use of R&D grants (revenues without taxation) in the absence of other tax incentives related to R&D.
One thing missing from most studies on the effects of targeted benefits of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) is a consideration of the indirect and unintended economic effects of these policies. The contribution of this paper is a clarification of this point providing a better identification of opportunity costs of the targeted benefits in SEZs. The author challenges the four most important and interdependent assumptions about the effectiveness of: fiscal incentives, localization, job creation and the negligible distortion of competition. Based on the literature review and data from the Polish SEZs, the author concludes that job creation in the domestic economy due to establishing SEZs is much smaller if the estimates include the negative effects of lower public spending on labour policy caused by fiscal incentives in SEZs, as well as additional unemployment created by distorted competition and the misallocation of resources. Confidence in the evaluation results of SEZs could be increased by efforts to improve the match between the treatment and control data, including the geography and timing of the zone interventions.
PL
W większości badań na temat skuteczności wsparcia świadczonego w specjalnych strefach ekonomicznych (SSE) brakuje dyskusji na temat pośrednich i niezamierzonych skutków ekonomicznych takiej polityki. Artykuł ten stanowi wkład w dyskusji, oferując lepszą identyfikację kosztów alternatywnych generowanych przez SSE. Autor kwestionuje cztery najważniejsze i współzależne założenia dotyczące efektywności: zachęt fiskalnych, lokalizacji, generowania miejsc pracy oraz założenia o braku istotnego wpływu na konkurencję. Na podstawie analizy literatury oraz danych z polskich SSE autor argumentuje, iż liczba realnie utworzonych miejsc pracy w gospodarce krajowej dzięki utworzeniu SSE jest znacznie niższa, jeśli uwzględni się negatywne efekty niższych wydatków publicznych w ramach polityki zatrudnienia spowodowanych: mniejszymi wpływami podatkowymi będącymi rezultatem zachęt podatkowych w ramach SSE, dodatkowym bezrobociem wywołanym przez zakłócenia konkurencji oraz błędną alokacją zasobów. Dokładność wyników modeli efektywności SSE może być zwiększona, jeśli poprawiony zostanie dobór danych kontrolnych i danych badawczych, tak aby właściwie uwzględniały czynniki geograficzne oraz relacje czasowe związane z działalnością SSE.
The study analyses tax law regulations in force in Poland and in selected European Union countries which may influence attitudes of entrepreneurs (taxpayers) in taking actions aimed at preventing food waste. This analysis demonstrates that all countries investigated in this study have made attempts to develop and implement various measures to combat the problem of food waste. At the same time, it is worth noting that properly constructed tax preferences are an important factor in preventing food waste, which is part of the sustainable development strategy implemented by European Union countries. In this respect, actions must be long-term and they should be based on various legal measures. Further changes in this area will be determined by some key factors. These include the need to use tax law regulations or to determine economic and social trends. Directions of activities of the state, local government and non-governmental organizations for counteracting food waste will also set course for these changes. Achieving sustainable development also at the stage of using food already produced should be based on optimization of all related processes, and thus also financial (mainly tax) processes. Therefore, attention should be paid in particular to the tax legislation in force in Poland and in selected European Union countries, i.e. the Act on tax on goods and services and the Act on corporate income tax.
Globally, tax incentives belong to the group of the most popular state intervention tools which are directed to support R&D activities. From a historical perspective, the prevalence of R&D tax incentives has increased both in the long-run and also over the past decade. When it comes to Poland, until the beginning of 2016 R&D tax incentives were used only to a very limited extent. Afterwards they became available to a wide range of entrepreneurs. The aim of the article is to analyze state interventions involving the introduction of R&D tax incentives, and in particular to answer the following questions: (1) When should the state intervene with the use of innovation policy instruments? (2) What factors have determined the popularity and increasing generosity of R&D tax incentives? (3) What were the circumstances and reasons for the introduction of R&D tax incentives in Poland?
PL
W ujęciu globalnym bodźce podatkowe są obecnie jednym z najpopularniejszych narzędzi interwencji państwa, mających na celu wsparcie rozwoju działalności badawczo-rozwojowej. W ujęciu historycznym wzrost popularności ww. instrumentów można zaobserwować zarówno w perspektywie długookresowej, jak i w ciągu ostatniej dekady. Jeżeli chodzi o Polskę, bodźce podatkowe wspierające działalność B+R były do niedawna stosowane jedynie w bardzo ograniczonym zakresie. Instrument ten został udostępniony szerokiemu gronu podmiotów gospodarczych dopiero na początku 2016 r. Celem artykułu jest analiza interwencji państwa polegającej na wprowadzeniu bodźców podatkowych wspierających działalność B+R, w tym w szczególności odpowiedź na następujące pytania: (1) Kiedy państwo powinno podejmować interwencję za pomocą instrumentów polityki innowacyjnej? (2) Jakie czynniki zadecydowały o popularności i coraz większej hojności bodźców podatkowych wspierających działalność B+R? (3) Jakie były okoliczności i powody wprowadzenia ww. bodźców podatkowych w Polsce?
This paper attempts to answer the question on whether Polish tax law supports philanthropy in business. The tax relief for companies donating to organizations carrying out public-benefit activities is presented in detail. Topics examined further include legal requirements for applying the tax relief, method of calculating the amount of tax deductible donation, as well as conditions when a donation may become a subject of VAT. The study is based on analysis of laws on PIT, CIT and VAT.
PL
Celem niniejszego artykułu jest próba odpowiedzi na pytanie o to, czy polskie prawo podatkowe wspiera filantropię w biznesie. Szczegółowo zostanie więc przedstawiona ulga podatkowa związana z przekazywaniem przez przedsiębiorców darowizn na rzecz podmiotów realizujących zadania ze sfery pożytku publicznego. Wśród zagadnień, które będą przedmiotem dalszych rozważań, znajdą się warunki formalne skorzystania z ulgi podatkowej, sposób ustalenia wartości darowizny podlegającej odliczeniu od podstawy opodatkowania czy okoliczności prowadzące do opodatkowania darowizny towarów podatkiem od towarów i usług. Analiza zostanie przeprowadzona na podstawie przepisów ustaw regulujących podatki PIT, CIT i VAT.
The aim of the article is to analyze the possibility of the usage of tax incentives in the NewConnect market development process, which should increase access to non-bank financing by companies, and thus increasing their investment potential. The following research hypotheses were positively verified in the article: (i) tax incentives can be an important factor favouring the development of the capital market for SMEs, (ii) tax incentives are already used in different capital markets for SMSs and support their development, (iii) the application of the tax incentives for SMEs capital market would not constitute significant reduction in the state budget’s tax revenues in Poland. The verification of the hypotheses was based on: (i) analysis of conducted surveys among listed and unlisted companies in Poland, (ii) querying information delivered by stock exchanges worldwide regarding the analyzed issue and (iii) statistical analysis of companies’ financial statements of public companies, quoted on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange and on the NewConnect market. The article may initiate a discussion on the possibilities of using tax incentives for SMEs as an instrument to stimulate the qualitative development of the NewConnect towards the market on which innovative and profitable companies will be listed.
PL
Celem autorów jest analiza dotycząca możliwości wykorzystania bodźców podatkowych w procesie rozwoju rynku NewConnect, co powinno sprzyjać zwiększeniu dostępności finansowania pozabankowego dla przedsiębiorstw, a przez to zwiększeniu ich potencjału inwestycyjnego. W pracy zweryfikowano pozytywnie następujące hipotezy badawcze: (i) bodźce podatkowe mogą być ważnym czynnikiem sprzyjającym rozwojowi rynku kapitałowego dla MŚP, (ii): bodźce podatkowe są wykorzystywane na różnych rynkach giełdowych i sprzyjają ich rozwojowi, (iii) zastosowanie bodźców podatkowych do rozwoju rynku kapitałowego dla MŚP nie stanowiłoby istotnego zmniejszenia wpływów podatkowych dla budżetu państwa. Weryfikację postawionych hipotez przeprowadzono na podstawie: (i) analizy przeprowadzonych badań ankietowych, (ii) kwerendy informacji dotyczących badanego zagadnienia oraz (iii) analizy statystycznej sprawozdań finansowych spółek publicznych notowanych na rynku głównym GPW w Warszawie oraz na rynku NewConnect. Artykuł może zapoczątkować dyskusję na temat możliwości zastosowania bodźców podatkowych dla MŚP jako instrumentu stymulującego rozwój jakościowy rynku NewConnect w kierunku rynku, na którym notowane będą spółki reprezentujące sektory innowacyjne oraz zyskowne spółki z pozostałych sektorów.
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