HM Treasury has consulted on its plans to introduce a cap on R&D tax credit cash claims – of three times a company’s PAYE and NI. And the biotech sector has responded with a resounding “What the…!” The consultation does propose some refinements, such as the ability to include the PAYE and NI of other…

  Invitation to the essential 2018 post-budget briefing and general tax update for biotech and tech companies a free event We’ll keep it brief as you’re all busy but we’ll distill the significant bits of Chancellor Philip Hammond’s budget and discuss how they relate to biotech and tech businesses. The Confluence Tax team will be…

  Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI) share options guide COMPANIES in the biotech and tech spaces have a constant need to incentivise staff and build motivated teams to prepare them down the line for a sale or investment. Part of that process should include consideration of equity incentives and the tax implications of granting these share…

A tax perspective Tax is our world. We live and breathe it and always find the most tax-efficient – and legal – solutions for our clients, that’s a given. Film partnerships do not generally figure in the tech and biotech niche we inhabit, but they’ve caught our attention in the press recently, so here’s our…

THERE IS no doubt that biotech fundraising rounds are getting bigger, companies are getting bigger and, as tax advisors, we are being faced with previously unheard of issues. Take profits – these could result in corporation tax liabilities, groups so large or profitable that they cannot claim SME R&D tax credits or future milestone income…

You’re not out of time but don’t be out of touch… Bad Hall & Oates songs aside, the Patent Box is a complicated beast and 2018 is likely to be a crucial year for determining whether you should elect in. So here is some clarity if yours is a loss-making company. The Patent Box provides…

WHY THE UK ROCKS FOR RESEARCH During a January visit to San Francisco to coincide with the JP Morgan conference, it was encouraging to hear from one US biotech company CFO how he considered the UK an attractive place to base his company’s research activities – above and beyond any other. Among the reasons why…

IN LIGHT of the November 2017 budget where the Chancellor announced the importance of supporting the R&D sector and growth of small businesses, why are we experiencing delays at the HMRC Enterprise Centre? Confluence Tax’s Anne-Marie Rickels looks at the problems and what can be done. Venture Capital Schemes, such as VCT, EIS and SEIS,…

EMPLOYMENT related securities (ERS) are a common way of incentivising employees within the technology and biotechnology industries. However, issuing shares or share options results in a reporting obligation to HMRC, the UK tax authorities. This blog aims to answer the most common queries regarding these annual returns. Overview Any company that has given shares or…

CONFLUENCE TAX held a post-budget tax briefing for those in the biotech and tech space on November 23, 2017. Here we’ve shared the ‘need to knows’ for all knowledge-intensive companies and investors WHILE MANY commentators on the autumn budget were unmoved, we welcomed various tax changes that affect the knowledge-based businesses we work with –…