2012 Alberta Budget- SR&ED Tax Credit Enhanced
The Alberta Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) program provides a tax credit to Alberta corporations for eligible expenditures incurred after December 31, 2008. The credit is worth 10% of a company’s eligible SR&ED expenditures in Alberta up to a $4 million expenditure limit, for a maximum credit of $400,000, and it is refundable for […]
Food Manufacturers urged to implement new Food Allergen Labelling Regulations coming into full effect on August 4, 2012
On February 16th 2011, Health Canada announced new regulations to strengthen labelling requirements by necessitating the use of clearer language and declaration of specific priority allergens, gluten sources and added sulphites for prepackaged foods sold in Canada. Canada’s new food allergen labelling regulations will come into effect on August 4th 2012. Currently, prepackaged foods must […]
Feed-In Tariff Program News
The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) is “moving forward with its commitment to review the Feed-In Tariff (FIT) Program” (read here), concerning the FIT review (scheduled for every two years) announced October to investigate price reduction, long-term sustainability, clean energy job creation and the renewable approval process. Renewable Energy World predicts late February will bring about […]
Direct Government Funding – Benefits and Detriments
SR&ED and NRC IRAP are both substantial business support programs offered by the Canadian federal government. However, one of the major differences between the 2 programs is that NRC IRAP endorses direct up-front funding, whereas SR&ED is a tax credit for expenses that have already been incurred. In light of the recent Jenkins report, there has been […]
Software Development and SR&ED
Software development is a key industry when it comes to R&D in Canada – in 2008 there were over 55,000 computer systems design and related companies operating in Canada, and that number continues to grow. Between smartphone apps and cloud computing, with infinite applications in every industry, we need to keep ahead. The government is […]
Harper signals Canada’s looming R&D revamp
Canadian Prime Minister Harper reiterated possible amendments to the Canadian SR&ED program at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland on Thursday. “We believe that Canada’s less than optimal results for those investments is a significant problem for our country,” Mr. Harper stated. Suggested changes, as previously mentioned by the Globe and Mail, follow from the much-discussed […]
Productivity is Innovation, Not Invention
On October 17, 2011, the federally appointed panel, chaired by Open Text chief strategy officer Tom Jenkins, released an assessment of the government’s $7-billion in annual investment in “business R&D”. The report recommended significant changes to the incentive programs and singled out the Scientific Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit, the largest program, which […]
The New Claim Review Manual
Along with the other changes that the CRA has been implementing over the past couple years, the Claim Review Manual has been updated. This is the manual that tells the CRA reviewers what processes they need to follow when reviewing an SR&ED claim. This review manual is meant to make the review process more consistent […]
SR&ED for Foreign-Owned Companies
There is no denying that Canada has one of the best programs as far as funding for companies that perform R&D goes. And while it is promoted frequently for Canadian Controlled Private Corporations, there are many other companies that can take advantage of this program. Take, for instance, an American-owned company that has a branch […]
Surviving Foreign Competition
Aggressive offshore competition isn’t new to us here. Let’s face it – it can be tough to survive when products similar to yours can be purchased for a fraction of the price from a company that doesn’t even operate in Canada. This can lead to a huge reduction in sales, can result in non-profit situations, […]