Private ruling: Early stage innovation company
Date of advice: 8 November 2019
Published: February 2020
Ruling period: Year ending 30 June 2020
Date scheme commenced: 1 July 2019

Ruling: Q1: Is the Company an Early Stage Innovation Company (ESIC) as defined in section 360-40 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997) for the year ending 30 June 2020? | A1: Yes

Relevant facts and circumstances: The Company is an Australian incorporated private company, incorporated in the year ended 30 June 2019. The Company is not listed on any stock exchange. The Company had total assessable income of less than $200,000 in the year ended 30 June 2019. The Company had incurred total expenses of less than $1 million in the year ended 30 June 2019. The Company does not have any subsidiaries. The Company is developing technology for use in its target market. There are no other known competitors providing the technology in the target market. The Directors of the Company have had extensive experience in the target market with a proven track record of developing and commercialising technology and global businesses off the back of this technology. The Company has partnered itself and is collaborating with experts who will assist in developing the technology. The Company expects that it will be able to gain a global market presence. The Company provided information detailing the development of the technology and financial model projections depicting its expansion plan to scale its business.

Relevant legislative provisions: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Subdivision 360-A | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 section 360-40 | Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 section 360-45

Reasons for decision: Summary: All legislative references are to the ITAA 1997 unless otherwise indicated. The Company is an ESIC for the year ended 30 June 2020, having met the eligibility requirements under subsection 360-40(1). | Detailed Reasoning - Detailed Reasoning: Subsection 360-40(1) outlines the criteria for a company to qualify as an ESIC at a particular time in an income year. 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. A company qualifies as an ESIC if it satisfies the early stage test and one of two 'innovation' tests which are the 100-point innovation test or the principles-based innovation test. | Detailed Reasoning - Early stage test: The early stage test requirements are specified in paragraphs 360-40(1)(a) to (d) and are outlined below. Incorporation or Registration - paragraph 360-40(1)(a) 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: incorporated in Australia within the last three income years (the latest being the current year); or incorporated in Australia within the last six income years (the latest being the current year), and across the last three of those income years the company and its 100% subsidiaries incurred total expenses of $1 million or less; or registered in the Australian Business Register within the last three income years (the latest being the current year). 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. A company that does not meet any of these conditions will not qualify as an ESIC. Total expenses - paragraph 360-40(1)(b) 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) 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) 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. | Detailed Reasoning - Innovation tests: If the company satisfies the early stage test, the company must also satisfy one of two innovation tests, the 100-point test or the principles-based test. | Detailed Reasoning - '100-point test' - paragraph 360-40(1)(e) and section 360-45: 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. | Detailed Reasoning - 'Principles-based test' -paragraph 360-40(1)(e): To satisfy the principles-based test, the company must meet the 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. 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. The five requirements of the principles-based test in subparagraphs 360-40(1)(e)(i) to (v) 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. The five requirements in paragraph 360-40(1)(e) are outlined below. (i) Developing new or significantly improved innovations for commercialisation 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...' 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 identified by making a realistic and objective assessment of the company's intended market for its innovation. It includes identification of the immediately accessible market to which the innovation will initially be introduced, or a new market which may be created by the innovation. Factors in identifying the addressable market may include the location of the company's potential customers, the type of industry to be served and the geographical area it will serve. The addressable market must be objective and realistic. A 'new' innovation means novel or introduced to the addressable market for the first time. It must be compared to the products, services, processes or methods that may or may not exist in the intended market for the innovation. 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, changes to pricing strategies or changes to goods resulting from seasonal change are examples of improvements that would not be considered significant. The OECD Oslo Manual (paragraphs 124 and 151) defines innovations as significant changes, with the intention of distinguishing significant changes from routine minor changes. However, it is important to recognise that an innovation can also consist of a series of smaller incremental changes that together constitute a significant change. The company must be genuinely focused on developing the 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. This requirement draws the distinction between simply having an idea and commercialising an idea. The EM does not define the meaning of the term 'genuinely focussed' within the context of subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(i). 'Genuine' is defined in the online Macquarie Dictionary as "Being truly such; real; authentic." 'Focus' is defined as "3. a central point, as of attraction, attention, or activity. ... 8. to concentrate; to focus one's attention." In essence, the phrase 'genuinely focussed' is looking to what the company is truly concentrating and focussing their attention on or, put another way, what is the real central point of the company's activities. That is, the central activities of the company must be truly concentrated on developing their innovation for a commercial purpose. Developing an innovation for commercialisation in relation to a new innovation refers to the process of creating that innovation, and it includes a range of activities such as proof of concept activities, market research, prototyping, pilots and user testing, and other activities to prepare for the launch of the new innovation. (ii) High growth potential The company must be able to demonstrate that it has the potential for high growth 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. (iii) Scalability The company must be able to demonstrate that it has the potential to successfully scale up the business. The company must have operating leverage, where as it increases its market share or enters into new markets, its existing revenues can be multiplied with a reduced or minimal increase in operating costs. (iv) Broader than local market 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. (v) Competitive advantages 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. | Detailed Reasoning - Application of subsection 360-40(1) to the Company: Test time For the purposes of this ruling, the test time for determining if the Company is a qualifying ESIC will be a particular date during the income year ending 30 June 2020. Current year 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 the particular requirements within subsection 360-40(1), the last three income years will include the years ending 30 June 2020, 2019 and 2018, and the income year before the current year will be the year ending 30 June 2019 (the 2019 income year). | Detailed Reasoning - Early stage test: Incorporation or Registration - paragraph 360-40(1)(a) The Company was incorporated within the last three income years, therefore paragraph 360-40(1)(a) is satisfied. Total expenses - paragraph 360-40(1)(b) The Company was incorporated in the 2019 income year and does not have any subsidiaries. The Company incurred expenses of less than $1 million in the prior income year (i.e. the 2019 income year). Paragraph 360-40(1)(b) is satisfied. Assessable income - paragraph 360-40(1)(c) The Company was incorporated in the 2019 income year and had assessable income of less than $200,000 in the prior income year. It has no subsidiaries. Paragraph 360-40(1)(c) is satisfied. No stock exchange listing - paragraph 360-40(1)(d) The Company is privately owned and is not listed on any stock exchange in Australia or a foreign country, therefore paragraph 360-40(1)(d) is satisfied. Conclusion on early stage test The Company satisfies the early stage test for the 2020 income year, as each of the requirements in paragraphs 360-40(1)(a) to (d) have been satisfied. | Detailed Reasoning - 100 point test: The Company has not provided evidence of satisfying the 100 point test under section 360-45 for the year ending 30 June 2019. For the Company to be a qualifying ESIC it therefore will need to satisfy the principles-based test. | Detailed Reasoning - Principles based test: To satisfy the principles-based test, the Company must meet the five requirements in paragraph 360-40(1)(e). Each of these is discussed below. Genuinely focussed on developing new or significantly improved innovations for commercialisation - subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(i) The technology being developed by the Company is a new innovation for the bulk commodities industry. The innovation is 'new' because there are no other known competitors providing the technology. The phrase 'genuinely focussed on developing' looks to the activity on which the company is truly concentrating and focusing its attention. In this respect, the Company is focusing on developing technology and will then commence the building of a commercial scale business based on the success of the technology and the pilot trials it conducts. The Company has established various relationships to develop its innovation while partnering and collaborating with experts. The Company's financial model projections predict a significant amount of financial growth over the projected period. The Company has demonstrated that it has taken tangible steps to identify a gap in the market, to create an innovative product to fill the gap in the market and to commercialise the innovation to generate revenue. The Company is genuinely focussed on developing its technology for a commercial purpose, therefore the Company satisfies subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(i). High growth potential - subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(ii) The Company states its ability to grow its business stems largely from the size of the market, the global nature of its target market and its application to adjacent markets. In addition, with its networks within the industry the Company will potentially be able to gain global market presence. The Company has provided details of its predicted financial growth. Subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(ii) will be satisfied. Scalability - subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(iii) The Company states that its key to successfully scaling the business model is to engage with experienced participants in the industry. In addition, the Directors of the Company have had extensive experience in the market, with a proven track record of developing and commercialising technology and the building of global businesses off the back of this technology. The Company has also partnered itself, and is collaborating with specialists to strengthen and fast track its ability to be first to market with the technology. The Company's financial model projections and explanation of its expansion strategy provide details of its plan to increase the scale of the business. The Company can demonstrate that it is able to successfully scale its business. Therefore, subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(iii) is satisfied. Broader than local market- subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(iv) The Company will initially apply the technology to limited markets in Australia and will then expand to further markets in Australia. The Company states they will also be able to gain global market presence. The Company has demonstrated the potential to address a broader market than just the local market. Therefore, subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(iv) will be satisfied. Competitive advantages - subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(v) There are currently no other known competitors providing the technology in the target market. The Company is expected to be the first to market. Being the first of such innovation in the market, the Company has the first mover advantage. The Company also has a management team with extensive skills and experience in the target market. The Directors of the Company have extensive experience in and a proven track record of developing and commercialising technology. They also have experience in building global businesses off the back of this technology. This experience puts the Company in a position to successfully bring the technology to market. In addition, the Company has established relationships and partnerships with key stakeholders in the market. The Company has demonstrated the potential for it to have competitive advantages within the market, satisfying subparagraph 360-40(1)(e)(v). Conclusion on principles test The Company satisfies the principles-based test because it satisfies the requirements in subsection 360-40(1)(e) for the year ending 30 June 2020.